By KBC Associate 
Manchester City secured their place in the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace with a 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest.
Just a point separates City and Forest in the crowded fight for Champions League qualification in the Premier League, but Pep Guardiola’s men were far superior from the off at Wembley.
Rico Lewis put City in front in the second minute with the first shot of the game and, after Anthony Elanga missed a gilt-edged chance to level shortly after his introduction following the interval, Josko Gvardiol made it 2-0.
Forest did threaten to get back into the game in spectacular fashion when Morgan Gibbs-White volleyed against the crossbar, and the same man was the victim of more misfortune as he hit the inside of the post with the goal at his mercy, summing up a hugely disappointing day for Nuno Espirito Santo’s men.
Our third successive #FACup final 🔜#ManCity pic.twitter.com/lHTFQfbjhF
— Manchester City (@ManCity) April 27, 2025
Nottingham Forest v Manchester City
Lewis wasted no time in putting City ahead when he arrowed a low drive beyond the dive of Matz Sels and into the bottom-left corner.
City rarely threatened to build on their lead in the first half, though Nico O’Reilly did fire narrowly wide of the right-hand post midway through the opening period.
The introduction of Elanga in place of Danilo instantly made Forest more of a threat, but he fluffed his lines from Callum Hudson Odoi’s low left-wing cross after Forest cut through the City defence.
Forest were made to pay for that miss soon after.
Sels did brilliantly to deny Matheus Nunes and appeals for handball after Mateo Kovacic’s follow-up was blocked were dismissed. However, Gvardiol rose highest from the subsequent corner to double City’s lead.
That advantage was almost halved when Gibbs-White’s superb hooked volley clattered the woodwork, which was struck again after the midfielder robbed Gvardiol in the box and rounded Stefan Ortega.
Taiwo Awoniyi also saw a close-range effort repelled by the goal frame, with Gibbs-White’s follow-up kept out by Ortega as Forest continued to huff and puff in search of a goal that would give them a glimmer of late hope.
A late turnaround would have been fitting for a team that has defied the odds in the Premier League this season, but in the end they were left to regret their string of missed opportunities.
Nuno looked disconsolate at the end of a game in which his decision not to play Elanga from the start backfired and one that saw his team abandon the defensive solidity that has defined their performances in 2024-25.
It means City still have the chance to salvage a trophy from a season that has fallen well short of their expectations. Forest must now quickly refocus to ensure they are not left disappointed at the end of a campaign that has dramatically surpassed theirs.