Manchester City suffered a complete defeat to Southampton in the FA Cup, but came back to win 2-1 and advance to the final for the fourth consecutive year.
Championship high flyers Saints kept City at bay and produced a famous FA Cup moment when Finn Azaz put City ahead with 11 minutes remaining.
Finn Azaz gives Southampton the lead against Wembley
However, City continued to knock on the door against a stubborn Saints defense and equalized in the 82nd minute through Jeremy Doku’s deflected shot.
The game was headed for extra time, but Nico Gonzalez sealed the win with a sharp strike from 25 yards into the top corner, creating a Premier League moment.
For a few minutes, Southampton dreamed of emulating their 1976 cup heroes by reaching the final on the 50th anniversary of their victory, but City’s quest for a treble remained alive.
City will face either Leeds or Chelsea in the final, while Southampton are back in the heat of the race for promotion to the Championship, taking on Ipswich in midweek.
“Manchester City’s domestic treble is also in my sights”
Ginny Boswell on Sky Sports at Wembley Stadium:
“This game really exploded in the last 20 minutes, creating a great finale.
“This was a heart-breaking moment for Southampton, who defended tenaciously. Their 20-match unbeaten run ended with their FA Cup dreams.”
“City would have liked to have had a lighter game in terms of managing their game time as they look to win the Premier League title, but to be able to respond in that way will be huge for their momentum.
“The changes under Guardiola, especially Doc, have really turned the game in their favor and brought them within striking distance of winning the domestic treble. That’s quite a bit in a season where a lot of people were counting them out.”
Eckert: Test of maturity to react against Ipswich
Southampton manager Tonda Eckert said this as he looks ahead to Tuesday night’s game against Ipswich.
“It will be a test of maturity for us to get this game over as soon as possible because we need another top performance on Tuesday.
“We have some decisions to make ahead of Tuesday’s game. Tomorrow we will be a little more involved throughout the day, but I am confident that we have a very good team on the pitch ready to perform.”
“I think if we start building momentum as a team, as a group. I think you have to do everything to win football games. I think that sometimes gives you more energy than saving a guy or making five percent saves here and there.”
“This time of the season is unforgiving. The approach is always the same. We try to put in the best team that we think has the best chance of winning football games and that will continue to be the case.”
