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:
Who is Zach Abbott?
Nuno Espirito Santo has made a bold move bringing 18-year-old Zach Abbott into the starting line-up, with the teenager making just his third senior appearance - and first since August.
He comes into a depleted defence with Ola Aina injured and both Ryan Yates and Nico Williams suspended.
Abbott has only played one game this season, a League Cup defeat to Newcastle in August.
What an occasion for the young lad, in an FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.
Routes to the semi-final
Manchester City were 2-1 winners over Bournemouth in the quarter-finals, having previously beat Championship strugglers Plymouth Argyle - who memorably knocked Liverpool out of the cup - 3-1.
They started their campaign with an 8-0 battering of Salford City but had an uphill battle from there, coming back from 1-0 down in each of their next three matches. In the fourth round they were given a scare by Leyton Orient, ultimately winning 2-1.
Routes to the semi-final
Forest have had to dig deep to reach the semi-finals, making history as the first team to win three penalty shootouts in the same campaign in the competition.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side won 4-3 on penalties away at Brighton in the quarter-finals of the competition, having previously overcome Ipswich Town (5-4 on penalties), Exeter City (4-2 on penalties), and Luton Town (2-0) in the earlier rounds.
Team news - Manchester City
Pep Guardiola has made three changes to the City side that ran out 2-1 winners over Aston Villa in the Premier League this week.
Jack Grealish, Rico Lewis and Savinho all come into the starting line-up, with Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan and James McAtee dropping out, the latter missing the squad altogether through suspension.
Team news - Nottingham Forest
Nuno Espirito Santo has made two changes after their top-flight win over Tottenham Hotspur in midweek, with 18-year-old Zach Abbott and Callum Hudson-Odoi both starting, Abbott making his full Forest debut.
Anthony Elanga is benched, while Neco Williams is suspended after a booking against Brighton in the quarter-final.
Team news - Manchester City
Manchester City XI: Ortega, Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly, Lewis, Kovacic, Bernardo, Savinho, Grealish, Marmoush
Substitutes: Ederson, Doku, Nico, De Bruyne, Gundogan, Reis, Akanji, Khusanov, Foden
Team news - Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest XI: Sels, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Dominguez, Anderson, Gibbs-White, Danilo, Toffolo, Hudson-Odoi, Wood.
Substitutes: Miguel, Morato, Sangare, Awoniyi, Moreno, Jota, Elanga, Sosa, Boly.
Team news incoming
We’re expected team news to drop in the next few minutes...
Last time out
Meanwhile in Manchester, Matheus Nunes was the unlikely hero as he broke the deadlock against Aston Villa, firing in a stoppage-time winner to seal a 2-1 victory.
How Man City’s unlikely hero reshaped the Champions League race
Last time out
Quick reminder of the last outing for each of today’s semi-finalists: Nottingham Forest held on to beat Tottenham in the top flight last weekend, with Chris Wood ending a seven-game goal drought and Elliott Anderson also on the scoresheet as they won 2-1, with a late Richarlison header not enough to get Spurs back into the game.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments