Man City Defeat Forest to Set Up FA Cup Final with Palace

• Apr 27, 2025

Manchester City powered past Nottingham Forest with a 2–0 win at Wembley on Sunday to reach the FA Cup final. Pep Guardiola’s team made an early statement by scoring in just the second minute and kept control throughout the match.

Rico Lewis opened the scoring almost immediately after kick-off, putting City ahead with a well-taken goal. Josko Gvardiol added a second in the second half, sealing a comfortable semi-final victory for the defending champions. With this win, City set up a showdown against Crystal Palace at Wembley on May 17. Palace secured their final spot a day earlier after beating Aston Villa 3–0.

This will be Manchester City’s 14th appearance in an FA Cup final and offers the club a chance to lift the trophy for the eighth time. It could also mark their third FA Cup title under Guardiola, who has managed the team since 2016.

City are looking to finish the season strongly after missing out on the Premier League title. Their hopes of defending their English crown officially ended when Liverpool defeated Tottenham just as City’s match ended. Despite this setback, City remain in fourth place in the Premier League with four games left and are aiming to secure Champions League qualification with a top-five finish.

Although Manchester City recently beat Crystal Palace 5–2 at the Etihad Stadium, Guardiola’s side will be aware of the challenges ahead in the final. Winning the FA Cup would offer a bright end to what has been a turbulent season.

For Nottingham Forest, it was a tough afternoon. Despite the energy from their fans, who were louder than City’s supporters at kick-off, they struggled to create clear chances. Sunday’s semi-final marked only Forest’s second trip to Wembley since the stadium’s reopening in 2007, compared to City’s 28th visit.

Forest, who are just two points behind third-placed Newcastle with a game in hand, will now turn their focus back to the Premier League. They are chasing a historic qualification for the Champions League, which they last reached in the 1980/81 season. City, meanwhile, will look to maintain momentum as they prepare for another major final under Guardiola.