Manchester City came from behind to beat Southampton 2-1 at Wembley on Saturday, booking their place in a record fourth consecutive FA Cup final with late goals from Jeremy Doku and Nico González sealing a dramatic comeback.
City, who had already lifted the Carabao Cup in March after beating Arsenal, will now face either Chelsea or Leeds United in the final on Saturday, May 16, with the two sides meeting on Sunday for the right to face Pep Guardiola’s men at Wembley.
It was Southampton, a Championship side who came into the semi-final on the back of 20 games unbeaten in all competitions, having already knocked out Fulham and Arsenal, who drew first blood. Finn Azaz picked out the top corner from the edge of the box in the 79th minute following a quick passing move, sending the Saints fans behind the goal into raptures. 
The lead lasted just three minutes. Doku’s shot deflected off Southampton right-back James Bree, wrong-footing goalkeeper Daniel Peretz, and dropped into the net to level things up at 1-1.
Then, with the clock running down, González produced the decisive moment, a piledriving strike from range that found the top corner and sent City through.
Guardiola had named a heavily rotated side, making eight changes from the team that beat Burnley 1-0 on Wednesday. Despite that, City controlled large portions of the game without finding the breakthrough they needed until those final frantic minutes.
City fans unveiled an Oasis-inspired tifo just before kick-off, featuring Liam and Noel Gallagher alongside the words “City are Back. City are Back. Hello. Hello.” By the final whistle, the sentiment had proven prophetic, with Guardiola securing his 24th trip to Wembley in 10 years.
Before the Saints broke the deadlock, City had created a string of chances. Omar Marmoush was denied by a point-blank Peretz save, Tijjani Reijnders saw an effort curl narrowly wide, and Romain Cherki’s ball across goal was inches away from Marmoush’s boot at the back post. Southampton’s defence held firm through block after block before Azaz finally found the net.
Southampton’s late attempts to find an equaliser after González’s winner came to nothing. Two corners in the closing stages brought chaos in their own box, with Peretz flying off his line before being rounded by Doku, and Savinho’s eventual shot was cleared off the line. Taylor Harwood-Bellis was booked in the 93rd minute, and Southampton’s final set-piece delivery was headed clear by a City player to confirm the result.
CITY XI: Trafford, Nunes, Stones (C), Aké, Aït-Nouri (O’Reilly 71′), Nico, Kovacic (Doku 58′), Reijnders (Silva 85′), Cherki, Foden (Savinho 58′), Marmoush (Haaland 71′)
SOUTHAMPTON XI: Peretz, Bree, Harwood-Bellis, Wood, Welington (Matsuki 76′), Jander, Bragg (Charles 61′), Fellows, Azaz, Scienza, Stewart
