Guardiola Hails 'Extraordinary' Man City After Historic FA Cup Final Berth

Pep Guardiola speaks to media

Pep Guardiola calls it “extraordinary” as Man City beat Southampton 2-1 to become first club to reach four consecutive FA Cup finals. Doku, Gonzalez score.

Pep Guardiola hails 'extraordinary' achievement as Man City make FA Cup history... 

Pep Guardiola praised Manchester City’s achievement in becoming the first club to reach four straight FA Cup finals after a late fightback denied Southampton a shock win at Wembley.

Southampton looked set for their first final in 23 years when Finn Azaz’s superb finish put the Championship side ahead with 11 minutes left.

 

City responded instantly through Jeremy Doku before Nico Gonzalez’s stunning strike sealed a 2-1 semi-final win.

Guardiola’s side have lost their last two FA Cup finals to Crystal Palace and Manchester United, though they did beat United in 2023.

  

City, who will face Chelsea or Leeds in the final, are now firmly in contention for a domestic treble.

 

Guardiola’s team lifted the League Cup last month and are in a tight Premier League title race with Arsenal.

  

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

 

The City manager’s decision to make eight changes from the side that beat Burnley 1-0 on Wednesday looked questionable as Southampton had the better of the first half.

"I think that is what defines us." @PepTeam reacts to today's FA Cup victory 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/dueXxjNmoL

— Manchester City (@ManCity) April 25, 2026

But Guardiola’s team improved significantly after the break, helped by the introductions of Doku, Erling Haaland and Bernardo Silva from the bench.

“It was difficult but the wingers (Doku and Savinho) when they came in changed the pace,” added Guardiola.

“The first time they crossed the halfway line they made a fantastic goal. Football is always unpredictable but the way we played in the second half was extraordinary.”