David Hytner’s report is in so I’ll call it a day. Palace v City will be the showpiece affair on May 17. Thanks for joining!
Gibbs-White speaks about his crossbar hit: “Especially with my weak foot, I’ve never hit a ball like that in my life. As soon as that hit the crossbar I had a feeling it wasn’t our day.”
Of course, this is the bigger story. Liverpool are league champions for the 20th time.
“I think it was a deserved win for us,” Kovacic tells ITV. “They are a strong team, they came back, they had a few chances but I think it’s a deserved win.”
“We’ve got so many players in midfield that can have the ball,” says Rico Lewis. “Kova and Berny as the two 6s that are so good they can keep the ball anywhere, that allows the frontmen to have more freedom.”
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It was a historic day out for Forest’s support but not an enjoyable one. The haunting memories will be the shots that rattled the sticks; Gibbs-White hit the post and crossbar, and Awoniyi was an inch off scoring, too.
FULL-TIME: Nottingham Forest 0-2 Manchester City
City reach their third consecutive FA Cup final; this difficult season could still end with a trophy.
90+3 min Elanga takes it and Jota Silva’s header is deflected out for another corner. Elanga steps up again and goes to the far post. Hudson-Odoi picks it up and delivers a cross but the ball eventually finds the hands of Ortega. Doku counters for City and wins a free-kick out on his side’s left.
90+2 min Murillo thumps a free-kick into the area, resulting in a corner …
90+1 min City fans have got the Poznan going.
90 min Dias cuts out a long ball from the back by Forest – we’ll have four more minutes.
89 min Pep Guardiola gives Kovacic plenty of love after the midfielder makes way. He’s been sublime this afternoon.
88 min Bernardo Silva’s pass is cut out in midfield by Hudson-Odoi, who thunders through with the ball but can’t create anything of substance.
85 min Ramón Sosa cuts back to produce another chance for Forest, with Elanga waiting in the area … but the ball flies high over the net and the offside flag went up too.
83 min Doku turns on the heat out on the left, with Jota Silva doing well to keep up with the winger.
82 min Abbott limps off for Forest, with both sides making more changes. Doku and Foden have come on for City.
80 min Forest hit the post again! It’s Awoniyi who’s responsible with a reflex effort inside the area before Gibbs-White has a header saved by the diving Ortega. It’s just not happening for them.
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79 min The free-kick is headed away from the near post to safety.
78 min Elanga wins a free-kick on the right after a race for the ball with O’Reilly, the pair tumbling down.
76 min Elanga takes down a long ball on the left wing but he can’t get his cross right, finding no runners and just the hands of Ortega.
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75 min City play keep-ball, seemingly unable to lose it.
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73 min A wonderful first-time pass from Kovacic sets O’Reilly up inside the area as City try and walk in a third, but a corner is the end result.
71 min Anderson and Wood are off for Forest, Awoniyi and Sangaré on. Grealish is replaced by Gündogan.
70 min Oh my days. Gvardiol lets the ball run loose at the back and Gibbs-White skips in, jumping past Ortega but with a tight angle to beat. He should still slot in easily … but the ball hits the far post and comes back out. What a chance that was for the Forest skipper.
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68 min Forest supporters wave their scarves, trying to get their boys going for the final 20.
65 min Nearly an all-timer from Gibbs-White! Elanga dinks a cross in from the left, Gibbs-White, near the edge of the area, hits the volley sweetly with his left foot, the ball thumping the crossbar. He shouts towards the heavens, the margins going against him.
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63 min The corner is headed away before Marmoush and Grealish work it around nicely, the former driving down the left-hand side of the area to force a top save from Sels, tipping the ball over.
62 min Gibbs-White tries to play in Wood but his pass lacks direction and Ortega cleans up for City. Murillo heads away a cross at the other end, leading to a City corner.
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60 min Elanga has space on the right but his cross, hung up, can’t find Wood in the middle.
59 min Bernardo Silva dinks it in towards the far post … but Rúben Dias can’t make contact and it leads to a Forest goal-kick.
58 min City have a free-kick from central range, but not shooting distance.
57 min Forest knock it about at the back but they’ve looked most dangerous when they’ve thumped it long. They have to cling on to the way Hudson-Odoi broke through on the left at the start of the half.
55 min Jack Grealish goes in the book, the first yellow of the day.
53 min That goal followed a spectacular sequence of saves from Sels, keeping out Lewis, Nunes and Kovacic. But the keeper couldn’t do anything about Gvardiol’s header, the defender easing his way into the six-yard box before making contact.
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GOAL! Nottingham Forest 0-2 Manchester City (Gvardiol 51)
City appeal for handball before a corner but that doesn’t matter anymore; Gvardiol leaps high inside the area to comfortably head home Marmoush’s ball in. City are well on top.
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48 min Anderson gets called out by the ref for a high foot, with Forest injecting more life into this contest.
46 min Nearly an equaliser from Elanga! Hudson-Odoi skips down the left, and sends in a cracking low ball, Elanga makes a run to the near post and gets his finish wrong with the right foot, firing wide with just Ortega to beat. What a chance for the man who just came on.
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Nuno has made the call: the electric Anthony Elanga is coming on for Forest, replacing Danilo. The manager whispers some secret instructions into the ear of the former Manchester United attacker. Probably something along the lines of ‘give ‘em, hell’.
This looks pretty wrapped up.
HALF-TIME: Nottingham Forest 0-1 Manchester City
It’s not been a classic, with City dominant – passing with ease, not creating loads of chances but clinical when they got the early chance. A third consecutive final beckons if Forest don’t switch things up.
45 min We’ll have just one added minute.
44 min … Bernardo Silva whips the ball in and Toffolo heads away at the far post for a City throw.
43 min Abbott concedes a free-kick out on City’s left with a foul on Marmoush …
42 min Savinho is dispossessed as Forest advance forward but Gvardiol, at centre-half, rushes to the corner to stop Toffolo and regain control for City.
40 min Nunes gets the stepovers going and tries to dance past Anderson, but the Forest midfielder holds his ground in the left-back region.
39 min The game’s lost a bit of sting in the last few minutes, with City keeping the ball but unable to penetrate through Forest lines.
37 min Savinho has been causing some bother out on the right, looking to shape up for shots after cutting in.
36 min Lewis sees plenty of the ball in midfield as City quieten things down with a sequence of passes.
33 min Finally, something from Forest. Wood chests down a long ball from Sels, laying it down in midfield before a pass is played through for Hudson-Odoi on the right, and he tries to square it back for Wood. But the winger was offside anyway.
32 min Kovacic makes a bursting run through midfield again before City work their triangle of passes out on the right.
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31 min The first half-hour has been all City, this game lacking the intensity of a semi-final.
29 min Matheus Nunes is showing plenty of energy out on the right, bursting forward to launch the crosses. That also opens up space for Callum Hudson-Odoi when Forest counter, but a mistimed run and wayward pass to the winger stops the move.
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27 min O’Reilly does well in midfield, brushing away Danilo to launch from range, his shot travelling just wide.
26 min Forest are starting to see more of the ball but Bernardo Silva tracks back well to clear up in the right-back area.
25 min Murillo sends a Forest free-kick into the area … but the offside flag goes up.
24 min Forest finally string together some passes but it ends with Toffolo losing possession out on the left.
23 min Wood rushes on to Ortega, forcing the City keeper to clear out for a Forest throw on their left.
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21 min Forest are a touch sloppy when they do get the ball, with Gibbs-White’s cross from the right not causing any bother.
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20 min Savinho tries to jink his way into the area but Anderson tracks back for Forest to halt the danger.
19 min Bernardo Silva stands over a corner from the right, sending it deep. It’s cleared, giving Silva another go at a cross … but Sels comfortably collects.
18 min Forest look set to break but Kovacic gets in the way, the afternoon already belonging to him.
17 min Matheus Nunes breaks free on the right with acres of space in front of him before Forest regroup and City wheel around the ball.
16 min Marmoush brings some danger on the left, playing a nice one-two before having a crack from around 25 yards. He blasts high but has shown his desire to run at Abbott.
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15 min Gibbs-White has a go at someone in his side, the frustration showing after a slow start.
13 min Grealish feeds the overlapping O’Reilly on the left, his cross just about dealt with by Forest. The reds can barely get a touch.
12 min City have a free-kick out on the right, with Marmoush primed to whip it in. It’s a terrible low ball that can’t beat the first man in the area, Danilo.
11 min City are applying a great deal of pressure, with Marmoush drifting towards the left to give young Abbott some extra work.
10 min Kovacic is playing a box-to-box role as he thunders through with some quick feet, bursting into the area to help win a corner. Sels punches away the subsequent ball in.
8 min There’s a handball shout as Bernardo Silva drives into the Forest area and thumps a cross into Danilo, but it banged into his chest.
6 min Kovacic is running the show at the moment, with Grealish dropping deep to stay close to him.
5 min That goal has quietened down the Forest supporters who have waited generations for this game.
City pass, pass and pass before Kovacic decides to drive through midfield, picking out Rico Lewis, who has too much space in the D. His first touch opens up the body, and the low finish in to the bottom left corner is clinical.
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GOAL! Nottingham Forest 0-1 Manchester City (Lewis 2)
Well, that was simple.
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1 min City quickly string together their passing game, moving it around comfortably at the back.
Peep!
Morgan Gibbs-White leads the Forest team talk. It’s his side who kick off. Let’s play!
Let’s get going. The players are making their way out of the tunnel. There’s a sea of red: Forest fans to go with a healthy portion of empty seats in the upper stand.
An anxious Hasan writes in:
This season I’ve taken to watching all of Forest’s FA games with my aunt. Why, you ask? Is it because her punditry focuses primarily on the various hairdos on display? Is it because she laughs with life-affirming joy every time a player falls over theatrically? Is it because she’s been known to get 80 minutes into a game before realising she’s been cheering on the opposition? Well yes, partly all of the above. But most significantly, I’ve never watched Forest lose while sitting with her. Now she’s had the temerity to go away on holiday, and I’m left to watch the game all alone, fearing the worst.
Fear not, Nuno has just been speaking to ITV and he’s got a gleaming smile, looking the most confident man in north London. Oddly enough, he looks a bit like my old man.
Kevin De Bruyne is on the bench for City but he’ll surely play a role in the second half; this could be his last crack at the cup. He has 10 goals and 18 assists in 32 FA Cup games and came off the bench in the 2019 final to be named player of the match against Watford.
Events here are likely to be overshadowed by those at Anfield as Liverpool close in on the Premier League title.
Should this game actually be at Wembley? As Will reports here, Manchester City have not sold out their allocation for the game.
Will Unwin has the lowdown on Matz Sels, who hasn’t had a straightforward journey in English football. The tough times at Newcastle have set up the glories at Forest:
The teams
Nottingham Forest: Sels, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Domínguez, Danilo, Anderson, Toffolo, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi, Wood
Subs: Miguel, Morato, Sangaré, Awoniyi, Moreno, Jota, Elanga, Sosa, Boly
Manchester City: Ortega, Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly, Kovacic, Lewis, Savinho, Silva, Grealish, Marmoush
Subs: Ederson, Doku, Nico, De Bruyne, Gündogan, Reis, Akanji, Khusanov, Foden
A huge ask of 18-year-old Zach Abbott who slots in the Forest defence – he’s yet to play in the Premier League and is set to make just his third first-team appearance. Forest have Ryan Yates and Neco Williams suspended, with Ola Aina missing through injury.
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Preamble
Hello, hello, hello and welcome to our coverage of another Wembley showdown. Yesterday was about the Eagles; who gets all the glory today?
In one corner, Manchester City, their league monopoly over but the campaign picking up some momentum of late. They’ve made it to the last two FA Cup finals and a trophy to go with Champions League football would be a fine turnaround from where they were a few months ago.
And then there’s Nottingham Forest, who haven’t reached the final since ‘91, who haven’t won it since ‘59. Nuno’s boys are having a dreamy season, their run in the cup built on stamina; they’ve got to this point on the back of three consecutive penalty shootout wins. I was greeted by a wave of Garibaldi red on my way to Guardian HQ this afternoon, with the pilgrims making their way from Kings Cross to Wembley. This should be fun.
Drop me a line with all your thoughts, queries, wishes, concerns, song requests, whatever you fancy. Kick-off’s at 4.30pm BST.
