The FA
For a ninth time in ten seasons under Pep Guardiola, Manchester City have reached the FA Cup semi-finals.
With the only exception coming when they lost to Wigan Athletic in the 2017-18 fifth round, this is their eighth consecutive semi-final – an FA Cup record.
Before this, the longest run of semi-finals was five, by Manchester United between 1962 and 1966 and Arsenal from 2001 to 2005.
With their 10-1 win over Exeter in the third round, City became the first top-flight team since Tottenham Hotspur beat Crewe 13-2 in a fourth round replay in February 1960 to notch double figures in an FA Cup game.
The FA
While firing in goals and hammering opponents isn’t just reserved for lower division teams – they beat Liverpool 4-0 in the quarter-final – their recent record against sides from outside the elite serves as a serious warning for Southampton when they meet at Wembley on Saturday evening (5.15pm BST).
Since the start of 2018-19, City have played 21 FA Cup games against lower league teams and beaten them all by an aggregate score of 84-11, a run which has included five different wins by five or more goals, including one in each of the last four seasons: 6-0 vs Burnley in 2022-23, 5-0 vs Huddersfield in 2023-24, 8-0 vs Salford in 2024-25 and that 10-1 win over Exeter this season.
And they’ll be looking to extend that run and set new history in 2025-26.
You can watch Saturday’s game on TNT Sports 1, HBO Max, BBC One and iPlayer in the UK, with kick-off time at 5.15pm BST.