Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City LIVE: Rico Lewis and Josko Gvardiol goals send City into FA Cup final
Nottingham Forest 0-2 Manchester City: Pep Guardiola’s side peak at the right time to remain on course for silverware
Manchester City booked their spot in the FA Cup final with a 2-0 win over a spirited Nottingham Forest side at Wembley.
Forest were on the back foot from the off as the occasion threatened to overwhelm them, with Rico Lewis firing City ahead inside the opening two minutes.
They improved after the restart but Josko Gvardiol’s thumping header shortly after half-time meant Nuno Espirito Santo’s men had a mountain to climb, and despite hitting the woodwork three times - twice through Morgan Gibbs-White - they were unable to find their way back into the game.
Victory puts Manchester City into a third successive FA Cup final and Pep Guardiola’s side will face Crystal Palace at Wembley in the showpiece on 17 May. The same day they were dethroned as Premier League champions by Liverpool, who stormed past Tottenham 5-1 in the top flight, the seven-time FA Cup champions ensured they still have a chance of silverware this season.
Follow all of the latest from the FA Cup semi-final with our live blog below:
Clinical FA Cup semi-final victory puts Manchester City’s season back on track
It lacked the imagination or innovation of their Wembley counterparts, but the message from Manchester City supporters as they unfurled their pre-FA Cup semi-final tifo was crystal clear: City are back.
While Nottingham Forest supporters displayed their gothic-Robin Hood imagery, City fans mirrored their idols on the pitch in their clinical approach.
For 45 minutes, their claims had credence. It was not a performance for the ages, but that effortless imperiousness returned to a City side who made it their calling card throughout the Pep Guardiola era of all-out dominance.
Read Pete Hall’s match report from Wembley here:
Clinical FA Cup semi-final victory puts Manchester City’s season back on track
'Three FA Cup finals in a row, it's amazing' - Guardiola
“We are in the final so if you said three years ago you would reach three FA Cup finals in a row, come on. It's amazing,” Guardiola tells ITV.
“Now we have four finals to go in the Premier League and we have to recover and go again against Wolves.”
On Mateo Kovacic, who was deemed man of the match, he adds: “Kovacic is extraordinary. The last three or four games have been amazing. At his age he cannot play every three days but we are lucky to have time to recover. We need him for the quality and composure that he has.”
'Devastating' loss - Gibbs-White
“It's devastating,” the Forest captain adds. “I feel sorry for the fans. I hold my hands up and apologise. I should have scored at least one of them [chances].
“The support never stopped until the very last second and we thank the fans for that because they have been so consistent with us throughout the season.
“I'm lost for words really. I'm sad to go out like that. We gave it our everything but we keep going. We've still got the Premier League to focus on.”
On his second chance, which hit the post: "I should score that one. I go around the keeper and if I score that gives everyone in the stadium energy to try and go again. Even though we were 2-0 down we showed resilience and kept fighting. That is the main thing.”
'Five big finals' left for Nottingham Forest - Gibbs-White
“We have a game plan that everyone believes in and sticks to,” Gibbs-White says. “We executed it well in the first half. We nullified them apart from their goal. And the main thing is that we came out fighting in the second half.
“Anthony [Elanga] is a big threat for us and he showed that in the second half. We've got to put this behind us now and focus on the league. Five big finals. We are going to give it our absolute everything and hope for the best."
Gibbs-White 'had a feeling it wasn't our day' with narrow crossbar miss
“I think if we get a goal then we get another one,” Morgan Gibbs-White tells ITV. “That was just the flow in the game at the moment. We had a few good chances that we didn't make the most of and all I can put that down to is that it wasn't our day.
“Especially with my weak foot, I’ve never hit a ball like that in my life. As soon as that hit the crossbar I had a feeling it wasn’t our day.”
Semi-final win 'shows the character' City have - Lewis
“It means a lot,” Lewis continues, when asked what making the final means to City.
“It shows the character that the whole squad has. We can go on about excuses but it wasn't good enough at the start of the season and now we're picking ourselves back up and we've got momentum.
“We've got the chance of a trophy now and hopefully be in the top four to take into next season.”
'I had a feeling I was going to score today' - Rico Lewis
“I had a feeling I was going to score today, speaking to all my mates on my phone, but obviously not that early,” Rico Lewis tells BBC Sport.
“I just thought 'hit it and see what happens'. As soon as it left my foot I felt like it was going to go in.
“Before the game the manager said when you get in those spaces the centre-backs won't jump to you and I checked before Kovacic gave it to me, so I just turned and the turn was good enough to set me up for the shot straight away. The touch was the most important bit, but it was a nice goal.
“It is amazing, a moment I will never forget for the rest of my life.”
'We gave it our all' - Nuno
“We had good situations,” Nuno continues.
“City started really well, they caused a lot of problems and scoring with the first chance changes everything.
“The reaction was good, it was fine margins. We performed well and competed against a very good team that has talented players.
“They make it really hard to revert the result. The effort was there. The fans stayed with us until the end of the game. We gave it our all.”
'Tomorrow is a new day' - Nuno Espirito Santo
Nuno cuts a philosophical figure after that defeat. Asked on BBC Sport whether he regrets not starting Elanga, he says: “I regret so many things in my life, but that is not the point. It is about having a squad to manage the situations that we have to attend to and the absences.
“Anthony came really well and strong to the game and created difficulties. When we look back and analyse, we have a lot to fight for. After the sadness goes away we'll be stronger.
“We have to physically recover because it was very intense. This night will be hard on the mind but tomorrow is a new day to prepare and fight.”
Champions League qualification would 'limit the damage' - Guardiola
“Champions League is the most important thing, that would limit the damage,” Guardiola continues.
“This season has not been good. I want to say thank you to our fans, I know how difficult it is to come here with work tomorrow, the wickets and the travel. I can't thank them enough and hopefully they will join us and see us in the final.”
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