Pep Guardiola hails ‘extraordinary’ Manchester City reaction to make FA Cup history
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Manchester City's Nico Gonzalez celebrates scoring their winning goal in the 2-1 FA Cup semi-final success over Southampton in the 87th minute with Bernardo Silva and Nathan Ake at Wembley on April 25, 2026.
PHOTO: REUTERS
LONDON – Pep Guardiola hailed Manchester City’s feat of becoming the first side to ever reach four consecutive FA Cup finals, after a late fightback denied Southampton a shock victory at Wembley on April 25.
The Saints were heading towards their first final in 23 years when Finn Azaz’s brilliant finish put the Championship side in front 11 minutes from time.
City, though, hit back immediately through Jeremy Doku before Nico Gonzalez’s sensational strike edged the semi-final 2-1.
“Really special for me, especially because I’m not used to scoring these goals,” Gonzalez told TNT Sports of his rocket from 27 metres out, the longest-distance goal scored by any City player this season. “So with the winning goal like this, in this amazing stadium, it’s amazing.”
Guardiola’s men have lost their last two FA Cup finals to Crystal Palace and Manchester United. They beat the Red Devils in 2023.
City are now well in contention for a domestic treble. They lifted the League Cup in March and are locked in a tight battle for the English Premier League title with Arsenal.
“No team has made four finals in a row. It’s extraordinary and hopefully, we can arrive with a good momentum,” said Guardiola.
The City manager’s decision to make eight changes from the side who beat Burnley 1-0 in the Premier League on April 22 looked misguided, as Southampton enjoyed the better of the first half.
But Guardiola’s side improved markedly after the break and were aided by the introduction of Doku, Savinho, Erling Haaland, Nico O’Reilly and Bernardo Silva off the bench.
“It was difficult, but the wingers (Doku and Savinho) when they came in changed the pace,” added the Spaniard.
“The first time they crossed the halfway line, they made a fantastic goal. Football is always unpredictable, but the way we played in the second half was extraordinary.”
Manchester City’s Jeremy Doku scores their first goal to equalise against Southampton.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Doku said his time on the bench prompted his on-pitch impact.
“I was analysing the game in the first half. We were playing in the middle a lot. I knew that I had to bring a threat and make it uncomfortable for the fullbacks,” the Belgian told the BBC.
“I watched (Southampton’s) game against Arsenal and I felt they deserved to win.
“They have a lot of quality players. I was not surprised (by how good they were).”
The victory was City’s 22nd in a row against FA Cup opponents from lower-division teams but Southampton, who are fifth in the second-tier Championship and 23 places below City in England’s football pyramid, made the Premier League titans dig deep for it.
The loss ended Southampton’s 20-game unbeaten run across all competitions.
“It’s emotional at the end but the reality is, just like every other game, we need to put this one to bed as quick as possible,” said the Saints’ 33-year-old German manager Tonda Eckert, whose team are in the thick of the fight for Premier League promotion play-off spots. AFP, REUTERS
