Guardiola’s Manchester City Beat Nottingham Forest 2-0 to Reach FA Cup Final

Manchester City secured their place in a third consecutive FA Cup final with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest at Wembley on Sunday.

Pep Guardiola’s side struck early through Rico Lewis, before Josko Gvardiol's second-half header sealed the win. City will now face Crystal Palace — who defeated Aston Villa 3-0 on Saturday — in the final at Wembley on May 17.

This will be City’s 14th FA Cup final appearance, offering them a chance to claim the trophy for an eighth time and the third under Guardiola’s leadership since his arrival in 2016. Last season, City lost to Manchester United in the final after winning the 2023 edition against the same rivals.

With their Premier League title hopes officially ended after Liverpool’s win over Tottenham, City are determined to salvage their season by winning the FA Cup and securing a top-five league finish to guarantee Champions League qualification. They currently sit fourth with four matches remaining.

Against Forest, it took City just two minutes to take control. After a patient build-up, Lewis was afforded too much space on the edge of the box and fired a low shot into the corner. City's relentless pressing unsettled Forest, with Nico O’Reilly almost doubling the lead soon after with a strike that flashed just wide.

Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo, grappling with injuries and suspensions, handed a rare start to 18-year-old Zach Abbott, while Anthony Elanga surprisingly began on the bench. The decisions backfired early on, as Forest struggled to cope and failed to register a single shot in the first half, managing only one touch inside City’s penalty area.

Elanga was introduced after the break and should have scored when he fired wide from Callum Hudson-Odoi’s pass. Moments later, City made Forest pay for their wastefulness as Gvardiol powered in a header from Omar Marmoush’s corner to double the lead.

Forest battled bravely in the closing stages, with Morgan Gibbs-White hitting both the bar and the post, and Taiwo Awoniyi also striking the woodwork with a clever flick. However, City’s early dominance had already sealed the result.

It was City's 28th visit to Wembley since its 2007 reopening, compared to just the second for Forest. Despite early vocal support from the Forest fans, it was Guardiola’s men who advanced, keeping alive their hopes of ending the season with silverware.

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