Nico Gonzalez’s 87th-minute rocket goal was enough to send Manchester City into their fourth straight FA Cup final from a 2-1 victory against Southampton.
City could make it a double or treble this season with the Emirates FA Cup final confirmed and a possible Premier League title if they win all their games.
Manchester City started well, pressing forward in search of an early goal, but Omar Marmoush was offside in the 5th minute.
Matheus Nunes’ amazing cross saw Omar Marmoush almost score the opening goal, but his header got blocked by a Southampton player in the 16th minute.
Another opportunity presented itself for Mateo Kovacic, who failed to score in the 19th minute as the game remained goalless.
The match continued with an attempt from Rayan Cherki in the 23rd minute after a good pass from Phil Foden, but it didn’t make any difference.
Tijjani Reijnders came close in the 35th with his strike from inside the box, but it wasn’t happening for them as they kept on pressing.
The referee paused the game in the 40th minute after Matheus Nunes went down. However, there wasn’t much to it for Nunes, who later continued playing.
Phil Foden had an opportunity but failed before the first half came to an end, with Manchester City held to a 0-0 scoreline.
The second half started with Tom Fellows’ attempt in the 46th minute, which a City player perfectly blocked.
Marmoush had a close one again in the 49th minute after receiving the ball from Nico Gonzalez, but still nothing happened in the match.
The pressure was on Southampton as Phil Foden’s left-footed strike in the 54th minute was very wide of the target.
James Trafford pulled off an incredible save in the 55th minute after a wonderful right-footed strike from Ross Stewart.
Omar Marmoush and Tijjani Reijnders both came close to making it count for City, but they failed to score both opportunities.
Southampton made two changes in the 61st minute as Cameron Bragg replaced Shea Charles, while Cyle Larin came off for Ross Stewart.
Savinho sneaked in a strike to the bottom left corner in the 64th minute, but Daniel Peretz made an excellent save to deny the ball from going in.
Manchester City made a double change in the 71st minute, which saw Erling Haaland and Nico O’Reilly coming on from the bench.
Rayan Aït-Nouri and Omar Marmoush were the players taken off by Pep Guardiola, as he wanted more from the game.
Finn Azaz shocked City with his wonderful goal in the 79th minute from outside the box. Kuryu Matsuki assisted the goal as Southampton made it 0-1.
Jérémy Doku hit one to the bottom-right corner, which beat the goalkeeper to level things at 1-1. Manchester City leveled the scoreline in the 82nd minute with an assist from Tijjani Reijnders.
Jérémy Doku delivered a corner kick in the 87th minute, which saw Nico Gonzalez score to put the Premier League side in front 2-1 with little left to play.
Both teams made numerous attempts, but Manchester City claimed a 2-1 victory over Southampton, qualifying them for the Emirates FA Cup final.
Pep Guardiola was full of praise for his players, who did well to pull through after going behind.
Guardiola said: “Exceptional… When the wingers came, they changed the pace.
“It was just extraordinary in the second half, but football has incredible surprises; the first time they crossed halfway, they scored a fantastic goal.
“And after that, one shot deflected to equalize, and after that, a second goal from Nico!”
“Listen, Man City never, never, ever, and in this country, and since the UK was born, no team has made four [FA Cup] finals in a row.
“Imagine next season, one team will be in four finals in a row – it’s extraordinary!
“Hopefully we can arrive in a good momentum, and decisions which are something we cannot control in that time will be fair for both teams. That is only my wish!”
The victory meant Manchester City qualified for their fourth straight Emirates FA Cup, and they will await the result of the game between Chelsea and Leeds United.
Pep Guardiola and his players have their eyes on another title this season after winning the EFL Carabao Cup against Arsenal.
The season could end with Manchester City winning a treble, as they still have the upper hand in the Premier League title race.
Southampton gave their best, reaching the Emirates FA Cup final, but they will be glad to bow out against a formidable City side, losing 2-1.
