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5 hours ago
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What a barnstorming finish to this FA Cup semi-final, which featured three goals in eight minutes and ended with Nico González as the hero who swept Manchester City to a historic fourth consecutive final.
The Spaniard’s winner came in the 87th minute. Bernardo Silva, only just introduced by Pep Guardiola, tapped to Jérémy Doku, who fed González. From outside Southampton’s area, to the left, the midfielder let go a rising 30-yard shot that rocketed into the net and left Tonda Eckert’s team heartbroken, having taken the lead not long before.
This came when Finn Azaz appeared to seize a moment of classic Cup glory in the 79th minute. The No 10 received the ball to his left foot before, 25 yards out, swivelling and curling a peach with his right that flew beyond the flailing James Trafford high and to his left.
Yet as Eckert’s side hit ecstasy and their fans sang: “When the Saints go marching in,” City did what City do. Doku, also a substitute, danced from the left to a central zone and hit an equaliser that beat Daniel Peretz, Southampton’s goalkeeper, to his left due to a deflection off James Bree.
Cue more delirium, now in the sky blue zone, though Kuryu Matsuki nearly grabbed an instantaneous Saints’ second when Ekhert’s defiant unit moved upfield, Trafford leaping up and back to tip the effort over.
The Championship team, unbeaten in 20 matches beforehand, also rallied via two corners but a Doku break after Rayan Cherki’s pass that took him from City’s half to Southampton’s then created an opening for Savinho, whose attempt was cleared off the line.
In seven minutes of added time both teams might have scored again as the chaotic close to the tie continued. Yet when Craig Pawson blew for time it was City who were rapturous, and those in the yellow of the club’s famous Cup win of 50 years ago bereft.
Pep Guardiola hugged Eckert and offered a word to the 33-year-old former Barnsley assistant manager, but truly what could he say to comfort a man six months into a first head-coach role who came so close to piloting the south-coast club to a famous victory?
The German was left deeply disappointed and proud – as his players should be too – and he immediately targeted Tuesday’s penultimate Championship match, the visit of Ipswich: beat the second-place team and Saints will rise to 79 points, only one behind the Tractor Boys.
Evidence of how near Saints came to victory was found in City ending the tie with Erling Haaland, Nico O’Reilly, Doku and Bernardo Silva all on the pitch, as the quartet began on the bench.
Eckert’s unit was a force from minute 1-97, taking the contest to City and so enjoying far more possession and territory than expected. Saints’ shrewd head coach operated a five-man defence that at times went to six and frustrated City, who were disjointed, due also to Guardiola’s wholesale changes.
The manager named “adorable” John Stones as the captain of an XI showing nine new players from the midweek win at Burnley, and which he configured in a 4-3-2-1 that had room for both Cherki and Phil Foden, as the double pivot behind Omar Marmoush. Yet by the break this was discarded, with Foden moved to a right-wing berth, Cherki now City’s sole No 10.
Saints had scored early on but after Léo Scienza beat Trafford he was ruled offside to the No 1’s relief. Here was a flash of the “bravery” Eckert spoke of and there was a pugnaciousness, too, about Saints’ play, as when Caspar Jander challenged Foden, leaving him on the turf.
Ahead of the second half Eckert could inform his team to keep on as they were: keep looking for Scienza, particularly, whose pace troubled City in the absence of the lightning Abdukodir Khusanov.
Television showed more than one fan in the sparsely filled City section napping at the break. This being the club’s 23rd visit to Wembley under Guardiola might excuse both these occurrences, but all were awake for the grandstand finish. Now City wait to see who of Chelsea or Leeds they will face in the final, back here next month.
