Nottingham Forest v Manchester City - as it happened
List of goalscorers
Match report in news
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90+5'FT: Nottingham Forest 0-2 Manchester City. Pep Guardiola's men have booked their ticket to the FA Cup final, where they will face Crystal Palace. Lewis and Gvardiol on target, but Forest had plenty of chances to get back into it, especially with Gibbs-White. Thank you for joining us, and we wish you a good day!
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90+4'Doku breaks forward and is brought down by Sosa, who is booked in the process. Seems to be fully game over now.
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90+3'Forest get back-to-back corners from the right as the clock ticks down.
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90+2'Mateo Kovacic is named Man of the Match.
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90+1'Four minutes of added time, as City supporters begin their celebrations.
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90'All the substitutions are used up for City, so Kevin de Bruyne is left on the bench by Guardiola.
Substitution
at Manchester City
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89'One more change for Pep Guardiola's side: Kovacic is subbed off for Gonzalez.
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88'Doku earns a precious free-kick in his own half, as Forest ramp up the pressure in search of a miraculous comeback.
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85'Elanga has the chance to latch onto a loose ball in the middle. O'Reilly is there to put pressure on him, as the Forest man skies the ball way off target. The flag is up for an offside in the build-up.
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85'Five minutes plus added time to go. Moving into miracle territory for Forest.
Substitution
at Nottingham Forest
Substitution
at Nottingham Forest
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82'Academy graduate Abbott makes his exit after getting his first start for Forest, as Sosa comes on to replace him.
Substitution
at Manchester City
Substitution
at Manchester City
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81'Double change for City: Marmoush and Savinho OFF. Doku and Foden ON.
Yellow card
a Manchester City
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78'Forest get a promising free-kick on the right flank as O'Reilly sees yellow for his challenge on Elanga.
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77'Marmoush has the chance to bring Man City forward with men. He passes the ball to Savinho, who looks for Nunes on the right. The Portuguese looses his footing at the wrong time, letting the ball slip behind for a Forest goal-kick.
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74'Chances back and forth, but no one has managed to put the ball in the back of the net from them.
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72'City almost gave away another easy chance to the Midlands club, as a ball back to Ortega risked not having enough power. The German shot-stopper managed to get to it just in time.
Substitution
at Nottingham Forest
Substitution
at Manchester City
Substitution
at Nottingham Forest
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71'Changes on both ends: Gundogan replaces Grealish for City. Anderson and Wood OFF, Awoniyi and Sangare ON for Forest.
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70'City with a massive blunder in defence. Gvardiol loses the ball under pressure from Dominguez. Gibbs-White collects, but he fails to accept the gift, as he hits the woodwork once again. Nuno cannot believe it...
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67'Anderson has a go at goal, but he squeezes the ball wide. Forest are rising, and the fans can feel it.
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65'Brilliant volley from Gibbs-White, but he is denied by the crossbar! He hit it so well, but the woodwork had other plans for him. Could've been an incredible goal to lift Forest's spirits and hopes.
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63'The corner is recycled by Grealish, who passes the ball to Marmoush. The Egyptian cuts inside before getting onto his left foot to shoot, but Sels gets a strong touch to direct the ball above the crossbar. Another corner for City.
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62'Murillo heads Silva's ball out of harm's way and behind for a City corner.
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60'This time Forest get a free-kick. Marmoush is caught making an unfair challenge on Abbott.
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58'Foul from Milenkovic on Grealish. City get a promising free-kick in attack.
Yellow card
a Manchester City
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55'Grealish sees the first booking of the game for his foul in the Forest half.
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55'Big chance for Marmoush to slot the ball from close range, but Milenkovic sticks his foot out to anticipate him.
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54'No room for error now for Forest after that massive chance wasted at the start of the half.
Goaaaaaal!
de Manchester City en el 51'
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Statistics of Joško Gvardiol in FA Cup31
0.33000
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51'GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL GVARDIOL DOUBLES CITY'S LEAD!! The Croatian rises above anyone else and powers the corner home with his head. Real blow for Forest after their narrow miss, but real delight for the Sky Blues. 0-2 and the final is getting closer for Pep's men!
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50'Three massive chances in a row for City! O'Reilly strikes first. Sels saves. Kovacic hits it on the rebound, but the keeper saves again. Sels is called into action a third time, as he ball dangerously looms toward the goal line after his save, but he keeps it out with his foot. Big big interventions, but City do get a corner from that.
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49'First knock on the door from the Tricky Trees in this second period. But still a long way to go!
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46'Elanga almost scored with his first touch of the game! Hudson-Odoi breaks on the left, sending a brilliant delivery for the substitute in the middle. Somehow, he missed the target from about five yards. Shivers for City...
Substitution
at Nottingham Forest
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46'One change at half-time as Elanga comes on to replace Danilo for Forest.
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46'Underway for the second half!
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45+2'HT: Nottingham Forest 0-1 Manchester City. The Sky Blues head into the break with a precious one-goal lead after an electric start at Wembley. Rico Lewis opened the scoring within two minutes with a low drive from long range. Forest slowly crept into the game, but they are yet to do something to shake Pep Guardiola's side, who are on course to meet Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final.
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45'One minute of added time.
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43'Marmoush holds the ball on the left, waiting to whip in a cross. He gets fouled by Abbott before he can do so, and City get a free-kick in attack.
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40'Five minutes plus possible added time to go in this first period at Wembley. City on course to face Palace in the final, as things stand.
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39'Forest supporters look visibly underwhelmed after a dominant first half from the Cityzens.
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37'Savinho is served by Grealish to charge forward towards goal. Similar to previous occasion, he cuts inside before attempting to find Sels' goal. Blocked again.
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35'Gibbs-White challenge on O'Reilly is deemed unfair by the referee. The whistle is met by disapproving shouts from Forest's supporters.
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34'First big chance for Forest! Odson-Hodoi is released on the right with acres of space in front of him. He whips a low cross for Wood in the middle, but he fails to hit the target under pressure from eight yards. Eventually, the flag goes up to signal for the Englishman's offside position.
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33'A couple of quick passes from Forest in their own half. Grealish interrupts them, as he brings down Anderson illegally.
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30'O'Reilly on the charge again. A couple of passes and Savinho receives the ball on the other end of the pitch. The Brazilians cuts inside and shoots, but Murillo gets his body in front to block it.
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29'Forest with the chance to break forward, but he was miles offside. The Englishman is seemingly frustrated that he was not served earlier.
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28'Nunes gets the better of Anderson on the right. He whips the ball in the middle, but it is cleared away. O'Reilley collects and looms forward, showing nice skills to get past the opposition. He fires from long range, but it is well wide.
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26'Forest starting to creep and settle into the game now. They are seeing way more of the ball, as City alleviate some pressure.
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25'The set-piece chance comes to nothing as the flag is raised for Wood's offside.
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24'Forest get a free-kick in attack after Dias' foul on the left flank. Could be their first opportunity to find the target.
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23'Meanwhile, at Anfield, Liverpool are winning their game against Spurs so far. City's Premier League champions title could vanish as early as today...
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22'Teams are starting to stretch out on the pitch, giving away space which could reignite Forest's chances to get back in the game. They just have to avoid conceding another.
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20'Savinho is released with space on the right. He gets past one red shirt, but the ball is nicked off him the second time of asking.
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19'City get a corner. Silva whips from the left, but Forest defend successfully.
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18'City lose the ball in attack. Forest try to break into a counter-attack, but they are dispossessed immediately. Intense pressure from the Cityzens, who have been dominant in this opening.
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16'Marmoush links well with Grealish. He sets himself up to fire a curler from outside the box, but it travels above the crossbar.
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14'Grealish tries to release O'Reilly down the inside-left channel of the box, but his ball is just a tad too deep. Goal-kick for Sels.
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12'Marmoush's set-piece is low and weak. It hits the Forest wall, but again, the ball is with Pep's men.
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12'Nunes is brought down on the left flank and City get a promising free-kick.
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11'The corner is clear, but City maintain possession in attack. Now Toffolo is called into action to clear a cross from Silva.
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10'Kovacic skips through a couple of Forest men to get into the box. He goes for goal, but it is blocked behind for a corner. Nervy moments for the Tricky Trees.
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8'Silva has room to charge forward from the right. He enters the box and lobs a ball in the middle intended for Marmoush, but Murillo blocks. There's a shout for a potential handball from City, but the defender clearly uses his chest.
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8'Forest supporters doing their best to lift their side with cheers after going one goal down. City hold possession of the ball with patience for now...
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6'Wood earns a free-kick in defence after being fouled by Nunes.
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5'City looking menacing again with O'Reilly rising on the left. Murillo deals with the danger and clears.
Goaaaaaal!
de Manchester City en el 2'
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Statistics of Rico Lewis in FA Cup31
0.33100
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2'GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL LEWIS FIRES CITY AHEAD!!! Kovacic gets forward brilliantly, lays the ball for Lewis, who hits a low drive from the edge of the box after a decent first touch. First shot, first goal, and Wembley is bursting. 0-1!
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1'Underway at Wembley Stadium for the FA Cup semi-final between Nottingham Forest and Manchester City!
Start of match
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PRVWPlayers exit the tunnel and take the field! Here we goooooooooo!
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PRVW15 minutes to go! Getting closer and closer...
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PRVWWinning the FA Cup, which would be his 17th trophy with the club, to seal European qualification would be a great way for the Man City captain to terminate his decade-long tenure at the Etihad.
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PRVWKevin de Bruyne is on the bench for City, but the Belgian will be hoping his team can seal their place in the final either way, as he enters his final games for the Sky Blues before leaving.
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PRVWThe Catalan concluded by saying: "No matter what happens today, what this group of players have done in these past years will not be cancelled."
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PRVWMeanwhile, Guardiola said: "If we show the performance we showed there (at the City Ground against Forest), we will not reach the final."
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PRVWOn what Forest needs to do to beat City for a second time this season, the Portuguese added: "We have to be focused. We have to be committed to our task. We are facing a great team, talented players and a fantastic manager. Every minute counts."
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PRVWNuno on giving academy graduate Zach Abbott his first start: "We had problems with injuries, and Zach is ready. He's part of his squad, his chance is here. I told him he would start yesterday."
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PRVWHalf an hour to go before kick-off. Any predictions for the game?
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PRVWOn the bench for Pep Guardiola' side: Ederson, Doku, Nico, De Bruyne, Gundogan, Reis, Akanji, Khusanov, Foden.
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PRVWManchester City's starting XI (4-2-3-1): Ortega (GK); Nunes, Dia, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Lewis, Kovacic; Savinho, Bernardo, Grealish, Marmoush.
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PRVWOn the bench for Nuno Espirito Santo's men: Miguel, Morato, Sangare, Awoniyi, Moreno, jota, Elanga, Sosa, Boly.
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PRVWNottingham Forest's starting XI (4-2-3-1): Sels (GK); Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Toffolo; Dominguez, Danilo; Hudson-Odoi, Gibbs-White, Anderson; Wood.
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PRVWAndddddd the confirmed lineups have arrived! Let's see what they're saying...
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PRVWAccording to reports in England, Rico Lewis and Jack Grealish are set to start for City. Soon, the club will confirm their lineup.
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PRVWManchester City's possible starting XI (4-2-3-1): Ortega (GK); Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O'Reilly; Gonzalez, Gundogan; Savinho, De Bruyne, Doku; Marmoush.
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PRVWNottingham Forest's possible starting XI (4-2-3-1): Sels (GK); Williams, Milenkovic, Murillo, Moreno; Yates, Anderson; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood.
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PRVWWith that all settled, let's have a look at the possible lineups for the clash!
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PRVWJeremy Doku could work his way back into the team after setting up Matheus Nunes' winner on Tuesday against Villa, while Nico O'Reilly is poised for another start after his impressive display against Unay Emery's men.
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PRVWCity continue to count the absences of John Stones and Nathan Ake in defence, while Erling Haaland and Rodri recently made their return to team training, and are closing in on their respective comebacks.
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PRVWAs for the Sky Blues, Guardiola is unlikely to make too many alterations from Tuesday's winning squad against Villa. The Catalan confirmed on the eve of the game that Ederson is still out injured, meaning Stefan Ortega will take over between the posts for a third time running.
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PRVWNeco Williams is therefore set to start at right-back, with Alex Moreno occupying the opposite flank. Elsewhere, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ryan Yates could return to the Forest starting lineup, with Anthony Elanga leading the line with top scorer Chris Wood.
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PRVWIn terms of team news, Ola Aina is edging close to his Forest return after reports informed that the full-back has made progress in his recovery from a calf injury which threatened to end his season. However, featuring at Wembley this afternoon is likely to be too soon for him.
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PRVWThe Cityzens will also be feeling full of confidence after their crucial win over Aston Villa last time out in the English top flight, though Forest also claimed a huge victory against struggling Spurs.
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PRVWCity are very familiar with Wembley days out and have been regular semi-finalists under Guardiola's watch. They've won the competition twice since the Spaniard took over and could replicate Chelsea's feat of reaching three successive finals, which they achieved between 2020 and 2022.
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PRVWWinning the FA Cup would also be crucial in the two teams' bid to qualify for the Champions League this term, though they are both placed within the top five places in the Premier League with four games to go.
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PRVWFor Pep Guardiola's men, a FA Cup triumph would salvage what has been a dismal season for the reigning Premier League champions - not for long though, as Liverpool could wrap up the title as early as this afternoon.
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PRVWThe Tricky Trees edged past Brighton on penalties to reach the last four, while City beat Bournemouth 1-2 in the quarter-finals last month.
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PRVWForest have already beaten Man City this term in a top-five showdown earlier in March. And after a special campaign for Nuno Espirito Santo's side, sealing a place in the FA Cup final would be a great way to cap it off.
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PRVWA place in the final has already been booked by Crystal Palace after they swept past Aston Villa in Saturday's semi-final, but who will join the Eagles at Wembley on May 17?
Pre-match
27 April 2025, 17:30
Referee: Michael Oliver | VAR: Andy Madley
Stadium: The City Ground
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PRVWHello everyone, and welcome to our LIVE coverage of the FA Cup semi-final showdown between Nottingham Forest and Manchester City, kick-off at 17:30 CET at Wembley Stadium in London, England.
Mentioned in the news story
FA Cup
Manchester City
Nottingham Forest
