Manchester City scored twice in the final 10 minutes to deny Southampton a stunning Emirates FA Cup upset and book their place in a record fourth consecutive final.
Finn Azaz looked to have scored one of the most famous goals in the competition’s rich history when he bent a spectacular shot into the far corner to put the Championship team ahead with 11 minutes to go.
But Jeremy Doku’s deflected strike and Nico Gonzalez’s thumping winner spared City’s blushes and kept their bid for a domestic treble on course with a 2-1 win.
The Citizens, who lost to Crystal Palace in the final last season, will play either Chelsea or Leeds United in this year's showpiece and will prepare for another Wembley trip in the full knowledge they had to work extremely hard to get there.
Through to the 2026 #EmiratesFACup Final 🏆
Congratulations, @ManCity! 👊 pic.twitter.com/Tz578LmCnG
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) April 25, 2026
Southampton, 50 years on from their famous 1976 Cup success, wore the same yellow shirts and blue shorts and played with as much character.
City dominated for large parts of the match but somehow failed to convert chances into goals in a second half where they peppered the Southampton goal, before Azaz’s moment of magic.
Finn Azaz with a wonder goal right in front of the @southamptonFC fans!
📺 @BBCMOTD, @footballontnt and @SportsonMax pic.twitter.com/Ydug3qmwn0
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) April 25, 2026
However, Doku and Gonzalez extended their winning record against lower-league opposition to 22 matches in the Emirates FA Cup
They will also hope the omen of beating Southampton in the last four continues – eight of the nine sides to beat the Saints in the semi-finals have gone on to win the trophy.
Pep Guardiola has a mixed record in Emirates FA Cup semi-finals, winning four and losing four of his previous eight.
Two goals for @ManCity in five minutes and Nico González puts them ahead!
📺 @BBCMOTD, @footballontnt and @SportsonMax pic.twitter.com/nJcfQOiZKw
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) April 25, 2026
In pursuit of a domestic treble, he opted for several personnel changes but Southampton were the first to have the ball in the back of the net as winger Leo Scienza calmly slotted past James Trafford from six yards out at the end of a fluid counter-attack, only for the offside flag to go up.
Southampton were outstanding in their 2-1 quarter-final win against Arsenal and they weren’t intimidated against City either, defending deep but committing players forward on the counter. Scienza and Azaz were particularly dangerous, while Ross Stewart was superb at linking the play.
City needed something special to unlock Southampton’s defence and they almost produced it mid-way through the half, as midfielder Mateo Kovacic drove into the box past several defenders, but was unable to find a wide-open Omar Marmoush in front of goal as his low effort flashed across the face.
The Saints, unbeaten in 20 games prior to kick-off, gradually grew in confidence in possession and pushed higher up the pitch but that left them open to a sharp City counterattack, and Peretz had to make a sharp low save to keep out Marmoush from close range, after he was played in by Kovacic.
Daniel Peretz at his near post to deny Omar Marmoush 👊
📺 @BBCMOTD, @footballontnt and @SportsonMax pic.twitter.com/4V6q1L7MnQ
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) April 25, 2026
City upped the tempo in the early minutes of the second half, with their passing slicker and their movement clever, but Southampton defended diligently and made a couple of last-gasp interceptions in the box.
Phil Foden blazed high over the bar from the D after Rayan Cherki teed him up and that was the Englishman’s last real involvement, as he was part of a City double substitute that saw Jeremy Doku and Savinho introduced.
The former was straight into the action, as he played a cute pass for Rayan Ait-Nouri, who then cut the ball back to a waiting Marmoush in the box but he blazed over the top from six yards.
Southampton were suddenly hanging on. Cherki, increasingly influential, drove forwards into the box down the right-hand side but his low cross was too far in front of a sliding Marmoush, before Savinho’s bending shot forced Peretz into another save.
Guardiola sent on Erling Haaland and Nico O’Reilly with just under 20 minutes to go and City went even closer to a goal, as Gonzalez forced Peretz into a decent save, Cherki’s follow-up was blocked and Reijnders then volleyed inches past the post.
It appeared Southampton’s defence needed a prayer to stop a goal – but at the other end Azaz produced something miraculous. Cherki lost the ball on half-way, Southampton piled forwards and Azaz brilliantly curled a shot into the far corner from 20 yards to spark bedlam in the Saints end.
An all-time Emirates FA Cup upset was suddenly on the cards but City bit back. Doku worked the ball onto his right foot and his shot deflected off James Bree and bobbled into the far corner.
This team 👏 pic.twitter.com/s0vih0OoBV
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) April 25, 2026
After 82 minutes of huffing and puffing, they had finally broken the Southampton door down and so it was apt that it took just five more to take the lead.
This time, there was no intricate passing. Instead, Gonzalez picked the ball up 25 yards from goal and smashed it into the back of the net to spark jubilant celebration.