Three Minutes And Done! Man City Soar Into Historic Fourth Straight FA Cup Final

Last Updated:April 26, 2026, 07:35 IST

Man City scored twice in three late minutes to beat Southampton 2-1 and reach a fourth straight FA Cup final, with Nico Gonzalez’s rocket sealing a dramatic comeback.

Manchester City stormed into a record fourth consecutive FA Cup Final with a dramatic 2-1 comeback win over Southampton — scoring twice in the final minutes to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Saints Dream Crushed Late

For 79 minutes, Southampton were living the dream.

The Championship side, unbeaten in 20 games and eyeing a first FA Cup final since 2003, held firm against City’s star-studded lineup.

Then, Finn Azaz produced a sensational finish after being teed up by Kuryu Matsuki, spinning and rifling the ball into the top corner to give the Saints a shock lead.

Guardiola’s Gamble Pays Off

Pep Guardiola rang the changes after their midweek Premier League win, leaving out key names like Erling Haaland and Bernardo Silva.

The first half showed it: City struggled for rhythm, while Omar Marmoush squandered a golden chance.

But Guardiola’s bench changed everything.

The introduction of Jeremy Doku, Savinho and Nico O’Reilly injected urgency, width and chaos into City’s attack, and Southampton simply couldn’t hold on.

Two Goals. Three Minutes. 

Doku struck first, cutting inside and firing from distance — his shot taking a deflection off James Bree to wrong-foot goalkeeper Daniel Peretz.

Before Southampton could regroup, Gonzalez delivered the killer blow.

Three minutes from time, the Spaniard unleashed a thunderous long-range strike that flew past Peretz and into the net. No deflection. No saving it. Game.

History Beckons

City nearly added a third in stoppage time, but it didn’t matter as the job was done.

“No team has made four finals in a row. It’s extraordinary, and hopefully we can arrive with a good momentum," Guardiola said.

City are now chasing yet another piece of history, with a potential domestic treble still on the table, something they last achieved in 2018/19.

(with AFP inputs)

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