Match Report & Player Ratings: Manchester City 2-1 Southampton (FA Cup Semi-Final) | OneFootball

Nico Gonzalez scored a stunning strike from distance to help Manchester City come from behind to beat Southampton and reach the FA Cup Final for a third year running.

The midfielder stunned Wembley to complete a stunning comeback that started with Finn Azaz scoring a beautiful goal on the edge of the box to silence an otherwise wasteful City after 79 minutes. 

But only three minutes after the deadlock was broken, Jeremy Doku – who had come onto the pitch 14 minutes earlier – was fortunate enough to see his deflected effort from 18 yards trickle into the net. 

It means that City will face either Leeds United or Chelsea in the FA Cup final at Wembley on May 16 as the Blues continue to dream of a domestic treble.

Before kick-off, Pep Guardiola put his squad selection down to the “incredible loss of energy” and “fatigue” due to Manchester City’s demanding schedule of late. And so, eight changes were made with notable involvements for Mateo Kovacic, making only his fourth appearance of the season, and John Stones, whose departure is set to be announced next week. 

It will be the end of a 10 year stay at the Etihad Stadium for Stones, having shared plenty of memories with the City supporters and Guardiola during that period – and many of those have come from Wembley Stadium. 

There wasn’t much to cheer about early on for City fans after Leo Scienza found the bottom corner from a relentless counter-attack, only to be found offside with the goal disallowed.

But outside that opportunity, the game was controlled largely by the eight-time Premier League winners, particularly when Tijjani Reijnders forced Daniel Peretz into a save onto the post 15 minutes before Kovacic dragged a shot wide.

In the 35th minute, Omar Marmoush, in place of Erling Haaland, dribbled towards the left-hand post and dispatched from a trite angle, but Peretz once more made a good, low save to divert the danger. Moments later, Reijnders attempted an overhead kick from inside the area, but it just about summed up a miscalculated and underwhelming first half from City. 

At least the second half gave viewers something to get the pulse racing on a more frequent basis despite the fact numerous supporters of either team were caught on television replays sleeping around the hour mark. 

Earlier, in the 46th minute, Fellows found himself through on goal before Nathan Ake made a vital block, while Taylor Harwood-Bellis jumped ahead of Marmoush’s shot from 12 yards at the other end. 

The game opened up in City’s favour and in a matter of minutes, Phil Foden, Reijnders and Marmoush all came close but it was the next opening that generated the majority of sighs from the City end, which included Oasis’ Liam and Noel Gallagher.

Rayan Cherki, with all his talent and aura, drove towards the byline and sent a low pass across the face of goal that only needed a touch in response to break the deadlock. But Marmoush, once again, came up short and wasted the chance. 

Peretz wasn’t called into action for a while, not least until the 65th minute when Savinho, a replacement for Foden seven minutes earlier, wrapped a curling ball towards the far corner but it was pushed out by the shot-stopper. 

City’s wastefulness kept haunting them – Nico Gonzalez had a shot saved, the rebound from Cherki was blocked and Reijnders then pushed a half-volley wide in the blink of an eye – and it wasn’t long after when Azaz touched the ball down, spun and sent the Southampton half of Wembley into elation with a stunning finish into the top-right corner.

The Saints, for all their effort, were on their march to the final before Doku and Gonzalez crashed the premature party in London. 

Here’s how we rated the Manchester City players from their FA Cup semi-final victory over Southampton.

Starting XI

James Trafford – 7

Hardly tested in the first-half but worked well in regard to distribution and staying calm on the ball at the back. A ridiculous save late on helped reconvene and eventually win. 

Matheus Nunes – 5

Concerning to see him going down in the first 45 minutes and needing physio assessment. Got back up to show resilience and played a decent game. 

Nathan Ake – 5.5

Helped lessen the danger from the Saints’ motivated start to the second-half, sliding in on Fellows inside the area to block what would have been a goal otherwise.

John Stones – 6

Arguably City’s best player from the first-half. He tracked back cleverly, made the right decisions at the perfect times and gave the Southampton attacking line a headache. 

Rayan Ait-Nouri – 5.5

Looked motivated to run directly down the left flank and created some really good chances, notably when he pulled back to Marmoush on the hour. 

Nico Gonzalez – 7

What a goal! A great performance from the midfielder and a memorable goal to go with it. Not only that, but his general playmaking and defensive intelligence reality helped Guardiola’s side prevail here.

Mateo Kovacic – 7

This was his second game back since undergoing Achilles surgery from an injury in late 2025 and he stood out massively, firing shots from range, weaving in and around defenders and jumping into brave tackles. What a performance. Undeserving of a sub perhaps?

Tijjani Reijnders – 6

Worked hard throughout and looked one of the most motivated on the pitch early on, even trying a spectacular acrobatic finish but he failed miserably. Had many many chances and you could argue he should have scored at least one.

Rayan Cherki – 6

One of City’s most creative players this season but he wasn’t that for large parts of the first period here. He made a better effort than most but still couldn’t crack a solid low block from Southampton until late on.

Phil Foden – 4.5

Didn’t create much aside from a few sideways passes and a couple successful dribbles. It would be amazing to see him regain his full confidence, but City fans should trust that will come with time. 

Omar Marmoush – 5

Struggled to make much of an impact despite having a handful of dribbles in and around the penalty area. Stumbled on a few and needed to keep composure at the right times. 

Substitutes

Jeremy Doku – 7.5 (POTM)

The best substitution by a mile. He injected pace, energy and a goal that delivered as much importance to the scoreline as he did. Great introduction and an assist for the winner also.

Savinho – 5.5

Created many, nearly scored a couple himself and was a superb substitute after 58 minutes. 

Nico O’Reilly – 5

Struggled to get many touches given he came on after 71 minutes but a fresh O’Reilly has the ability to really punish any opponent. 

Erling Haaland – 4.5

Was very important for late set pieces and got his head plenty.

Bernardo Silva – 5.5

A crucial substitute given his leadership skills and ability to read the game from the pitch. Undoubtedly worked with others with similar experience to see out the game after Gonzalez’s goal.