Manchester City will face Crystal Palace in their third successive FA Cup final after cruising to a 2-0 win against Nottingham Forest at Wembley on Sunday.
Pep Guardiola’s side took an early lead through Rico Lewis and Josko Gvardiol’s second-half goal sealed a comfortable semifinal success.
City can look forward to a showdown with Palace at Wembley on May 17 after the Eagles won 3-0 against Aston Villa in the other semifinal on Saturday.
Their 14th FA Cup final appearance gives City a chance to win the competition for the eighth time and the third since Guardiola arrived in 2016.
City lost to Manchester United in last season’s FA Cup final after beating their cross-town rivals in the 2023 showpiece.
Guardiola is hoping to salvage a turbulent season by lifting the FA Cup and qualifying for the Champions League via a top five finish in the Premier League.
City, who sit fourth in the league with four games left, will go into the final as favourites after thrashing Palace 5-2 at the Etihad Stadium earlier in April.
But nothing has come easy for City this season and Guardiola will need no reminding of that after their four-year reign as English champions was officially ended by Liverpool’s win against Tottenham at the exact moment the final whistle blew at Wembley.
Forest, only two points adrift of third-placed Newcastle with a game in hand, have to lick their wounds and focus on their bid to reach the Champions League for the first time since 1980-81.
It was City’s 28th trip to Wembley since it reopened in 2007 and just Forest’s second.
So it was no surprise the Forest hordes who made the trip were far more vocal as kick-off approached, while swathes of empty seats stood out in the City sections.
