Pep Guardiola is on the verge of winning the FA Cup.
Image credit: B/R Football
Pep Guardiola has warned Manchester City not to mistake reaching the FA Cup final for a successful season after his side secured a routine 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.
First-half goals from Rico Lewis and Josko Gvardiol booked City’s place at Wembley, where they will meet Crystal Palace on Saturday, 17 May, in a bid for an eighth FA Cup triumph.
Palace, by contrast, are seeking their first major trophy.
However, despite progressing to a third consecutive FA Cup final, Guardiola remained clear-eyed about City’s broader struggles this season.
A dismal Premier League title defence ended on Sunday as Liverpool were crowned champions, with City now fourth in the table — a remarkable 21 points behind Arne Slot’s dominant side.
“No, this has not been a good season,” Guardiola insisted.
“Winning the FA Cup would minimize the damage, but we cannot confuse that with success. We are a thousand million points behind Liverpool. The club has to make the right decisions so next season we are better.”
City also endured their earliest Champions League exit in 12 years after being eliminated by Real Madrid in February’s knockout play-offs.
Their faltering form mid-season, including just one win in 13 matches across all competitions, ultimately derailed hopes of a historic fifth consecutive league title.
Still, recent results offer encouragement.
The victory over Forest was City’s sixth in their past seven matches, following Tuesday’s dramatic 2-1 win over Aston Villa.
Guardiola’s men now look likely to secure a top-four finish and Champions League qualification — a minimum expectation for the club.
Lewis, deployed in midfield rather than his usual right-back role, opened the scoring after just two minutes, finishing coolly after linking up with Mateo Kovacic.
Gvardiol doubled City’s lead with a powerful header shortly after half-time, effectively ending Forest’s challenge.
Speaking after the match, 20-year-old Lewis admitted City’s inconsistency earlier in the campaign had cost them dearly but said the squad was determined to finish strongly.
“We can talk about excuses, but the truth is we weren’t good enough at the start,” Lewis said. “Now we’re picking up momentum, and we want to carry that into next season.”
Forest battled gamely but lacked the composure in front of goal needed to stage a comeback.
Substitute Anthony Elanga missed a golden opportunity moments after coming on, while Morgan Gibbs-White rattled the crossbar with a spectacular volley and later struck the post after rounding goalkeeper Stefan Ortega.
Taiwo Awoniyi also hit the woodwork during a spell of late Forest pressure.
Despite the defeat, Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo took heart from his team’s resilience.
“We started poorly, and it made everything harder,” Nuno said. “In the second half, we had our chances. The players gave everything. It’s a sad day, but when the sadness passes, we’ll remember there are still big things to fight for.”
Forest remain in contention for Champions League qualification, sitting sixth in the Premier League ahead of Thursday’s crucial clash with Brentford.
For City, meanwhile, attention turns to ensuring a strong finish and salvaging silverware.
