WHAT a strange old FA Cup semi-final this was.
Thousands of Manchester City fans didn’t bother turning up for it – and neither did Nottingham Forest’s players for the first hour.
Man City have the chance to salvage something from their season
A goal in each half from Rico Lewis and Josko Gvardiol was enough for City to face Crystal Palace in the final on May 17
Lewis scored inside TWO minutes
But there were plenty of empty seats at Wembley
Nottingham Forest missed a handful of chances in the second half
On the day when City’s four-year reign as champions of England came to an end, goals from Rico Lewis and Josko Gvardiol, early in either half, booked Pep Guardiola’s men a third successive FA Cup Final appearance.
There were almost 10,000 empty seats in the City end, with Wembley 17,000 short of its 90,000 capacity.
And City keeper Stefan Ortega could have taken one of those vacant places in the stands for the entire first half, when he was a complete spectator.
With Mateo Kovacic outstanding in midfield, City showed patches of their vintage form as they secured a final date with Crystal Palace on May 17.
Forest struck the woodwork three times in a late rally – skipper Morgan Gibbs-White doing so twice, including a stunning long-range volley.
But after Aston Villa’s thumping by Palace on Saturday, for a second straight day an upwardly-mobile Midlands club completely underwhelmed at Wembley.
There was no doubting which set of supporters were more up for this – the Forest end was rammed and raucous.
And given that this was their club’s seventh successive FA Cup semi-final – and their 28th major fixture at the new Wembley – it felt like a far more routine day out for City.
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Guardiola might have been accused of ‘overthinking it’ for a big match again when he benched Kevin De Bruyne, as well as Ilkay Gundogan.
Yet within two minutes, Lewis – a surprise selection in midfield, had thumped home the opener.
Kovacic was the creator, holding off a challenge and angling a pass to Lewis, who arrowed his shot past Matz Sels and into the bottom corner.
Kovavic was beasting Forest in midfield, winning several tackles, as City kept their opponents pinned back.
Jack Grealish, his shinpads now almost microscopic, was menacing as a false nine.
City had been on a seven-match unbeaten run since losing at Forest in early March
Omar Marmoush blazed one over but City were playing like something from their peak years.
Nuno had handed a first major start to his 18-year-old defender Zach Abbott and along with the rest of Forest’s defence, the kid was seriously under the pump.
It wasn’t until the 24th minute that Forest had a touch in the City box, they had barely ventured into the opposition’s half – and every time they did, they were caught offside.
Nico O’Reilly, popping into midfield from left-back, executed a pirouette and drilled a shot narrowly wide.
But City had taken their foot off their gas and by half-time this was dying a death.
Forest had failed to register a single shot and managed just a single touch inside the City box.
There was no surprise when Nuno sent on birthday boy Anthony Elanga at the break, in place of Danilo, and he had clearly inserted a rocket up a few jacksies.
And a minute into the second half, Forest had a shot. Hudson-Odoi raced down the left and centred low for Elanga poked wide from close range.
Yet that brief burst of attacking intent was short-lived as City started to pepper the Forest goal.
First Sels saved an angled shot from Lewis with his feet at the near post, then the Forest keeper pushed out a Matheus Nunes effort.
And then Sels made a brilliant improvised stop with his feet from a deflected Kovacic effort.
Still, the Belgian’s heroics were in vain because, from the resulting corner, delivered by Marmoush, Gvardiol leapt above Murillo for a mighty header which doubled City’s lead.
Soon, Grealish’s reverse pass located Marmoush whose shot was repelled by Sels.
But then Gibbs-White – a summer target for City, who had been quiet all afternoon – met an Elanga centre with a stunning volley which crashed off the crossbar, combining exquisite technique with thunderous power.
And Gibbs-White then struck the woodwork for a second time in four minutes.
City got seriously sloppy trying to play out from the back and a dozy Gvardiol pass was intercepted by the Forest skipper, who rounded Ortega but shot against the post from a tight angle.
Forest were staging a very belated comeback attempt and sub Taiwo Awoniyi fired against the post before Ortega saved brilliantly, pushing away a Gibbs-White header.
Morgan Gibbs-White hit the woodwork twice in the second half
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