Rico Lewis needed just one hundred nine seconds to ignite Manchester City’s semi final, receiving a neat pass from Mateo Kovacic and rifling a low strike into the bottom corner to silence Nottingham Forest. The teenager’s composure belied his age.
Forest responded with spirited pressing, yet Gvardiol’s pace and anticipation repeatedly snuffed out counter attacks, allowing City to dictate through controlled possession. His distribution launched several breaks that stretched their opponents.
The Croatian defender sealed victory six minutes after the restart, meeting Bernardo Silva’s corner with a towering header that left Matt Turner stationary. Celebrations on the City bench underlined the significance of a second goal.
Kovacic once more impressed, collecting the official player medal for a metronomic performance that blended hard running with incisive forward passing. Guardiola praised his calm influence when speaking to press afterwards.
City’s back line of Gvardiol, Dias, and Walker restricted Forest to two shots on target, demonstrating a solidity often missing this term. Ederson’s late save from Morgan Gibbs-White preserved the clean sheet.
The two nil success sent City into a record third straight FA Cup final and reaffirmed Guardiola’s commitment to integrating academy prospects. Lewis led teammates to applaud travelling supporters, underlining that connection.
