Nottingham Forest’s fans poured down to Wembley on a tide of red and white hope but left only with regret. Many of Manchester City’s, meanwhile, stayed home and waited for the chance to come back for the game that really matters to them, the final.
That they got their wish was not a surprise but goes no way to telling the story of this remarkable game. Nor, for that matter, does the scoreline.
Forest were wretched during a first half during which they played hardly a noticeable part. Behind to a Rico Lewis goal in only the second minute, Nuno Espirito Santos’ side were outclassed, out passed and, surprisingly, outrun by a City team that was excellent in every way. Last year’s beaten finalists played as though they have a point to prove and, after the difficulties of their Premier League season, maybe they did.
Football matches comprise two halves, though, and during a second that saw them fall two goals behind early, Forest somehow managed to hit the frame of the goal three times in the space of a quarter of an hour.
Had any of those shots – two from Morgan Gibbs-White and one from substitute Taiwo Awoniyi – gone in then this whole thing could have turned. Forest had managed to stretch the game by being a little braver once Josko Gvardiol had headed in from a corner in the 52nd minute and City, as we know, are not quite the team they once were when it comes to security and predictability.
Add to that mix an absolute sitter missed by Anthony Elanga within a minute of his introduction at the break and you will understand that this turned into the kind of semi-final that it was hard to take your eyes off.
Man City will head to their third straight FA Cup final after beating Nottingham Forest 2-0
Rico Lewis scored within two minutes, drilling a shot into the bottom corner from 19 yards out
Josko Gvardiol then headed in from a corner to double the champions’ lead in the 51st minute
City deserved their victory and they will now have the chance to win this competition for the third time during Pep Guardiola’s time at the club. But Forest will return to the challenges of trying to qualify for the Champions League with reason to be feel rueful.
Nuno himself will perhaps wonder why he chose to start with Elanga on the bench. His team, meanwhile, will have to ask themselves why it took them so long to wake up.
Much of Forest’s success in the Premier League this season, of course, has come on the back of scoring first. Here, in the sunshine in London, they knew right from the second minute that this was going to be a different game.
Nuno’s team had not made a contribution of note by the time they were behind.
It was a lovely City goal. The first touch that Lewis applied to Mateo Kovacic’s pass into his feet on the edge of the Forest penalty area was superb and allowed him to turn and drill a low right foot shot to Matz Sels’ left before anybody in red could get anywhere near him.
From a Forest point of view, it was a moment that had hesitancy written all over it. With City pretty much playing without a centre forward, the Forest central defenders seemed unsure who to pick up for much of a first half that City dominated. And certainly in that moment, Lewis had just enough space to make a telling contribution.
Forest were shellshocked and it took them the best part of half an hour to recover. Injuries had led Nuno to play 18-year-old academy graduate Zach Abbott at right-back while elsewhere there was no place in the attack for Elanga, who started on the bench.
Not that City were altogether familiar in how they looked. No Kevin de Bruyne, for example. No Phil Foden. The difference was that City played like they had a point to prove and Forest looked as though they didn’t really feel as they belonged on the stage.
City will have a shot at winning silverware despite struggling compared to recent seasons
City didn’t run all over Forest and indeed the decisive moments were not to arrive until the second period. In the first half, City dominated all the stats – Forest made 12 successful passes in the first half for example while Kovacic contributed 56 all on his own – without creating a hatful of opportunities. A nice one-two between Jack Grealish and Omar Marmoush ended with the latter shooting over while another young player, left-back Nico O’Reilly – turned away from trouble in midfield to advance and shoot low.
From Forest there was nothing. There was not a thing about Nuno’s team that was recognisable. No energy, no belief and no impetus. Just before the half hour, their Brazilian defender Murillo implored the Forest fans for more support. But that wasn’t the problem. The Forest faithful had been terrific.
As time wore on, Forest did improve marginally. Once the shock of their horrific start left their system, they started to advance up the field. Not until the opening minute of the second half, though, did they fashion a chance of note and when it came it had a huge influence on the game.
Nuno sent Elanga on at the break and it was the right call. He had to do something – anything – to give his team a shot of belief. And when Callum Hudson-Odoi got away down the left to cross perfectly in to his path, it seemed he had to score from seven yards. Agonisingly, he didn’t. His first time shot with his right instep missed the near post by six inches.
It felt like a huge moment in the game and so it proved. Within a few minutes, Sels was saving at his near post from Lewis, then from Mattheus Nunes and, finally, from on his goal line with his foot after a Kovacic shot had struck Abbott on the arm – no penalty given – and trickled towards goal.
The danger seemed to have passed but not so. From the corner that followed, Gvardiol rose above Murillo and headed in. Simple.
City were now threatening to properly unload on Forest and in the 63rd minute Marmoush brought a good save from Sels at his near post with a fierce rising shot.
Despite City’s lead, there was less control of the game by now and that was because Forest simply had to be braver. As such, some of the football began to appear a little broken and Forest suddenly looked as though they could profit from the pieces.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side will now turn their attention to the Premier League top-five race
Gibbs-White – hitherto quiet – crashed a stunning volley against the bar from 18 yards after Elanga picked him out with 25 minutes left. Then, five minutes later, a slip from Gvardiol left the England player one on one with the goalkeeper. Gibbs-White probably should have taken his chances with a shot but chose to go round Stefan Ortega and could only screw his angled effort across goal and against the far post.
On the touchline, Nuno looked exasperated. That was two clear chances in the space of 25 minutes and both had been wasted. Against a team like City, how many can you really expect to get?
Such drama had not harmed the atmosphere. Forest fans were frustrated but at the same time beginning to see something more recognisable from their team. The game was stretched now, too, of course and the next goal was either going to bring what had previously been a tepid game to the boil or see Forest fans heading early to the M1.
Forest almost grabbed it with eleven minutes left as they hit the frame of the goal for the third time in a quarter of an hour. This time it was Awoniyi with an instinctive flick against Ortega’s right hand post. When the ball was recycled and crossed, Gibbs-White crashed a header towards goal and Ortega pushed it away.
This was now threatening to read like a Forest hard luck story but maybe this is what happens when you don’t start playing until half-time.
