The FA Cup proved once again why it is the best competition in the world and why you can never tell what is going to happen in football.
Finn Azaz thought he was going to be the hero with the best strike of a ball in his playing career before Jeremy Doku’s deflected effort sent the City fans ballistic and Nico Gonzalez stepped up to the plate.
Two worldies and a tense and nail-biting encounter, but once again Pep Guardiola found a way to get his City side into another final.
The domestic treble is well on the cards, and today came down to the Spaniard’s tactical genius.
City’s class shone through in the end
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It was an interesting decision by Guardiola to bench Haaland and go for the injection of pace with Omar Marmoush, who has struggled for a spot in the side this season.
City, as expected, dominated proceedings throughout, keeping possession exactly where their boss wanted them to, deep inside the Saints’ half.
Many City fans who had travelled down the M6 struggled to see much of the first half, with the majority of football being played up the other end and the gorgeous sun shining directly in their faces.
Tijani Reijnders gave a little warning sign despite the flag going up for his chance when he saw his close-range effort come off the post.
The Saints go out with their heads held high
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Eight minutes in, the Saints finally got their first possession of the ball, with City quickly pressing on their opponents, which became a story throughout the contest, as seen in many Premier League games this season.
However, Southampton withstood the pressure and, throughout the proceedings, did not give away the ball in any silly errors.
Saints’ boss Tonda Eckert applauded his side multiple times as, after half an hour, that optimism from the Southampton supporters turned into a belief that they could actually beat the Premier League title contenders.
Guardiola could sense it too: In the 39th minute, once his City side had finally engaged in a successful press, Rayan Ait-Nouri’s poor touch gifted possession away, and the Spaniard threw his arms in frustration.
The former Barcelona boss then went into a deep conversation with his assistant, Pep Lijnders, just before half-time, as the pair planned out how they were going to break down this frustrating Southampton side.
Many City fans struggled to see proceedings in the first half due to the sun
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Whatever was said between the pair came out at half-time, as City started to dominate proceedings.
The Citizens started to move the ball around more quickly, even deeper in Southampton’s half, and were brave at the back, with James Trafford’s starting position a good 30 yards from his goal throughout the majority of the second half.
With the additions of Erling Haaland and Nico O’Reilly in the 70th minute, it felt like a matter of time before the Citizens were going to get their goals.
But the FA Cup is made for moments of magic, and all the tactics in the world couldn’t stop Azaz’s incredible right-footed curler into the top right corner to send the Southampton end ballistic.
A thunderous finish made it appear that David was about to beat Goliath on the grandest stage of them all.
Guardiola proved once again why he is one of the best in the business
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However, his moment was short-lived as Jeremy Doku’s deflected effort made it past a scrambling Daniel Peretz, in a cruel way to concede for the travelling Saints’ fans.
Gonzalez’s incredible strike into the top left corner was enough for City, who saw out the key victory in normal time.
Nathan Wood stood out with his defensive display, matching Marmoush toe-to-toe and not committing to any unnecessary challenges.
His playing out from the back was nice and composed; he never looked flustered and controlled things in defence.
While he ended up on the losing side, he was the standout performer for the Saints today, keeping a tricky City attack at bay throughout several moments of the match.
The Saints went toe-to-toe with City throughout large periods of the game
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On a separate note, who knows the point of a linesman these days? A couple of times in the opening 10 minutes, Marmoush was a good two or three yards offside, obvious even from my perspective forty yards away.
But with the newish rule that a linesman has to keep the flag down, Wood’s challenge on the Egyptian counts for nothing, and a thirty-yard sprint early doors is meaningless.
Not long after, Scienza ran into an offside position, but Southampton were still able to continue with their attack, only for the flag to go up again.
Guardiola threw his arms up in the air in frustration and looked over to fourth official Farai Hallam as if to say: “Really?”
When it is clear and obvious, most football fans will agree, particularly these Saints’ supporters and Guardiola, that it is best to just put the flag up.
City won it late on with a worldy from Gonzalez | REUTERS
Manchester City set up a final against either a bang-in-form Leeds United or a squandering Chelsea.
The Blues today have raided their academy, taking their under-21s and under-18s head coaches to assist Calum McFarlane, who leads the Blues on an interim basis following the sacking of Liam Rosenior.
Daniel Farke will be licking his lips at the proposition of an FA Cup final, facing Chelsea at the best time.
His Leeds side have reached that magic 40-point mark and can throw the kitchen sink at lifting a major trophy.
