Key events
20 min Savinho tries to jink his way into the area but Anderson tracks back for Forest to halt the danger.
19 min Bernardo Silva stands over a corner from the right, sending it deep. It’s cleared, giving Silva another go at a cross … but Sels comfortably collects.
18 min Forest look set to break but Kovacic gets in the way, the afternoon already belonging to him.
17 min Matheus Nunes breaks free on the right with acres of space in front of him before Forest regroup and City wheel around the ball.
16 min Marmoush brings some danger on the left, playing a nice one-two before having a crack from around 25 yards. He blast high but has shown his desire to run at Abbott.
15 min Gibbs-White has a go at someone in his side, the frustration showing after a slow start.
13 min Grealish feeds the overlapping O’Reilly on the left, his cross just about dealt with by Forest. The reds can barely get a touch.
12 min City have a free-kick out on the right, with Marmoush primed to whip it in. It’s a terrible low ball that can’t beat the first man in the area, Danilo.
11 min City are applying a great deal of pressure, with Marmoush drifting towards the left to give young Abbott some extra work.
10 min Kovacic is playing a box-to-box role as he thunders through with some quick feet, bursting into the area to help win a corner. Sels punches away the subsequent ball in.
8 min There’s a handball shout as Bernardo Silva drives into the Forest area and thumps a cross into Danilo, but it banged into his chest.
6 min Kovacic is running the show at the moment, with Grealish dropping deep to stay close to him.
5 min That goal has quietened down the Forest supporters who have waited generations for this game.
City pass, pass and pass before Kovacic decides to drive through midfield, picking out Rico Lewis, who has too much space in the D. His first touch opens up the body, and the low finish into to the bottom left corner is clinical.
GOAL! Nottingham Forest 0-1 Manchester City (Lewis 2)
Well, that was simple.
1 min City quickly string together their passing game, moving it around comfortably at the back.
Peep!
Morgan Gibbs-White leads the Forest team talk. It’s his side who kick off. Let’s play!
Let’s get going. The players are making their way out of the tunnel. There’s a sea of red: Forest fans to go with a healthy portion of empty seats in the upper stand.
An anxious Hasan writes in:
This season I’ve taken to watching all of Forest’s FA games with my aunt. Why, you ask? Is it because her punditry focuses primarily on the various hairdos on display? Is it because she laughs with life-affirming joy every time a player falls over theatrically? Is it because she’s been known to get 80 minutes into a game before realising she’s been cheering on the opposition? Well yes, partly all of the above. But most significantly, I’ve never watched Forest lose while sitting with her. Now she’s had the temerity to go away on holiday, and I’m left to watch the game all alone, fearing the worst.
Fear not, Nuno has just been speaking to ITV and he’s got a gleaming smile, looking the most confident man in north London. Oddly enough, he looks a bit like my old man.
Kevin De Bruyne is on the bench for City but he’ll surely play a role in the second half; this could be his last crack at the cup. He has 10 goals and 18 assists in 32 FA Cup games and came off the bench in the 2019 final to be named player of the match against Watford.
Events here are likely to be overshadowed by those at Anfield as Liverpool close in on the Premier League title.
Should this game actually be at Wembley? As Will reports here, Manchester City have not sold out their allocation for the game.
Will Unwin has the lowdown on Matz Sels, who hasn’t had a straightforward journey in English football. The tough times at Newcastle have set up the glories at Forest:
The teams
Nottingham Forest: Sels, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Domínguez, Danilo, Anderson, Toffolo, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi, Wood
Subs: Miguel, Morato, Sangaré, Awoniyi, Moreno, Jota, Elanga, Sosa, Boly
Manchester City: Ortega, Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly, Kovacic, Lewis, Savinho, Silva, Grealish, Marmoush
Subs: Ederson, Doku, Nico, De Bruyne, Gündogan, Reis, Akanji, Khusanov, Foden
A huge ask of 18-year-old Zach Abbott who slots in the Forest defence – he’s yet to play in the Premier League and is set to make just his third first-team appearance. Forest have Ryan Yates and Neco Williams suspended, with Ola Aina missing through injury.
Preamble
Hello, hello, hello and welcome to our coverage of another Wembley showdown. Yesterday was about the Eagles; who gets all the glory today?
In one corner, Manchester City, their league monopoly over but the campaign picking up some momentum of late. They’ve made it to the last two FA Cup finals and a trophy to go with Champions League football would be a fine turnaround from where they were a few months ago.
And then there’s Nottingham Forest, who haven’t reached the final since ‘91, who haven’t won it since ‘59. Nuno’s boys are having a dreamy season, their run in the cup built on stamina; they’ve got to this point on the back of three consecutive penalty shootout wins. I was greeted by a wave of Garibaldi red on my way to Guardian HQ this afternoon, with the pilgrims making their way from Kings Cross to Wembley. This should be fun.
Drop me a line with all your thoughts, queries, wishes, concerns, song requests, whatever you fancy. Kick-off’s at 4.30pm BST.
