What a barnstorming finish to this FA Cup semi-final that featured three goals in eight minutes and ended with Nico González as the hero who swept Manchester City to a historic fourth consecutive final.
The Spaniard’s winner came in the 87th-minute. Bernardo Silva, only just introduced by Pep Guardiola, tapped to Jérémy Doku, who fed González. From outside Southampton’s area, to the left, the midfielder let go a rising shot that smacked the net and left Tonda Eckert’s team heartbroken, after taking the lead only moments before.
This was when, on 79 minutes, Finn Azaz appeared to seize a moment of classic Cup glory. The No 10 received the ball on his left foot before, 25 yards out, swivelling and curling a peach, with his right, that flew beyond the flailing James Trafford to beat City’s goalkeeper high and to his left.
Yet despite Eckert’s side feeling ecstatic and their fans singing “When the Saints go marching in”, City do what City do. Doku, also on as a replacement, danced from the left to a central zone and hit an equaliser that beat Daniel Peretz, Southampton’s goalkeeper, to his left due to a James Bree deflection.
Cue delirium in the sky blue zone though Kuryu Matsuki nearly grabbed an instantaneous second for Saints when moving upfield, Trafford tipping the effort over.
The Championship team, unbeaten in 20 before this afternoon, also rallied via two corners but a Doku break then created an opening for Savinho, whose attempt was cleared off the line.
In seven minutes of added time both teams could have scored again as the chaotic end to the tie continued. Yet when Craig Pawson blew for time it was City who were rapturous and those in the yellow of Southampton’s famous Cup win of 50 years ago bereft.
Guardiola hugged Eckert and offered a word to the 33-year-old former Barnsley assistant manager but, truly, what could he say to comfort a man six months into a first head coach role who came so close to piloting his club to a famous victory.
The evidence of how near Saints came to knocking out the Premier League leaders could be found in City ending the game with Erling Haaland, Nico O’Reilly, Doku and Silva all on the pitch, all having come off the bench.
Eckert’s team were a force, taking the contest to City and thus enjoying more possession and territory than expected. The German operated a five-man defence that frustrated City, who were disjointed because of Guardiola’s wholesale changes.
The manager named “adorable” John Stones as the captain of an XI showing nine changes and configured in a 4-3-2-1 that had room for both Rayan Cherki and Phil Foden as the double pivot behind Marmoush. Yet by the break this was discarded, with Foden moved to a conventional right-wing berth to leave Cherki as City’s sole No 10.
Saints thought they had scored early on but after Léo Scienza beat Trafford he was ruled offside, to the keeper’s relief.
Here was a flash of the “bravery” Eckert spoke of and there was a pugnaciousness, too, about Saints’ play, as when Caspar Jander mugged Foden, leavinghim on the turf.
Ahead of the second half Eckert could inform his team to keep on as they were: keep looking for Scienza, particularly, whose pace along the left troubled City in the absence of the lightning fast Abdukodir Khusanov.
In the sparsely filled City section the TV cameras showed more than one fan napping at the break. If this, the 23rd visit to Wembley under Guardiola, might excuse both these occurrences, all were awake for the grandstand finish.
Now, City await to see whether they will face Chelsea or Leeds in the final, back here next month.