Manchester City secured a 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest at Wembley on Sunday, booking their place in a third consecutive FA Cup final. Goals from Rico Lewis and Josko Gvardiol kept City’s dreams of a trophy-laden season alive.
Lewis made his mark early, scoring just two minutes in after being set up by the influential Mateo Kovacic.
The midfielder found Lewis in space, allowing him to place the ball into the bottom corner and quiet the Forest supporters.
For Forest, conceding so early was a setback they hadn’t anticipated. Struggling to gain control of the match, they ended the first half with just 25 percent possession and no attempts on goal.
Forest’s fortunes seemed to shift after Anthony Elanga was introduced at halftime. The forward nearly made an immediate impact but squandered his first opportunity, sending a shot wide after meeting a cross from Callum Hudson-Odoi in the 46th minute.
City capitalized on the miss just five minutes later. Gvardiol, rising above the defense, headed in a well-delivered corner from Omar Marmoush, securing his sixth goal of the season.
Forest, desperate to reach their first FA Cup final since 1991, came close to pulling one back when Morgan Gibbs-White unleashed a volley that rattled the crossbar with City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega beaten.
Gibbs-White then struck the post again 20 minutes later, after Gvardiol lost possession, but his tight-angle finish was thwarted by Ortega.
Substitute Taiwo Awoniyi also had an opportunity, hitting the woodwork before Gibbs-White’s follow-up header was saved by Ortega. The Forest supporters, growing frustrated, began to feel that luck was not on their side.
City calmly saw out the rest of the match, securing a record-extending seventh consecutive FA Cup semifinal win.
Their victory sets up a final showdown with Crystal Palace, who triumphed 3-0 over Aston Villa on Saturday. The final is scheduled for May 17.
