Man City Player Ratings vs. Southampton: Late Heroics Needed to Reach FA Cup Final

Nico González’s incredible long-range strike decided a tense semifinal.

Man City’s four-minute blitz ensured their progression. | Neal Simpson/Sportsphoto/AllstarGetty Images.

Manchester City required an epic late comeback to beat second-tier Southampton 2–1 and reach a record-breaking fourth successive FA Cup final.

Pep Guardiola made a raft of changes to his starting lineup for the semifinal at Wembley Stadium and those alterations robbed Man City of any sharpness. The Premier League title chasers couldn’t land a blow on their Championship opponents during a tense and uneventful first half in the capital.

City continued to struggle for clear-cut openings after the break and despite Guardiola eventually turning to the cavalry on his bench, it was Southampton who opened the scoring in emphatic fashion. Finn Azaz was the provider for the Saints, swiveling on the ball 20 yards from goal and curling a beauty beyond James Trafford in the 79th minute.

But one of Guardiola’s substitutes quickly erased Southampton’s lead, Jérémy Doku firing a deflected effort into the bottom corner to spare City’s blushes. The turnaround was then completed just 10 minutes after Azaz’s opener, Nico González producing a similarly sumptuous strike to secure a hard-fought triumph.

City’s last-gasp heroics mean they will face the winner of Sunday’s semifinal between Chelsea and Leeds United in the showpiece event on May 16.

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One Thing We Can’t Ignore

Guardiola’s substitutions made all the difference. | Michael Regan—The FA/The FA/Getty Images.

Guardiola confessed his players were “so, so tired” after a testing week which involved pivotal Premier League victories over Arsenal and Burnley. The City manager responded by making eight changes to his starting lineup, peripheral figures catapulted into the mix in every department.

Guardiola has opted against playing ‘Pep Roulette,’ as it’s been affectionately coined, during City’s resurgent streak, but that resulted in rusty performances from incomers at Wembley. Used sporadically in recent weeks, the likes of Nathan Aké, Omar Marmoush and Tijjani Reijnders were among those struggling for momentum in light blue jerseys.

First halves have rarely been so sluggish for the Cityzens since the turn of the year, despite the expectation that they would prove too powerful for their second-tier opponents. Labored in possession, wasteful with their final pass and lacking any creative spark, last season’s finalists desperately needed something to energize them after the restart.

After initially resisting the temptation to make half-time changes, Guardiola eventually resorted to his star-studded bench. City were notably improved thereafter, the introduction of Savinho and Doku adding the energy craved, and it was the latter who proved their savior after Azaz stunned the Premier League giants.

Doku’s leveller offered the platform from which City grasped victory, Nico deserving credit for his venomous winner, but Guardiola’s men made hard work of booking their ticket to the final. City were fortunate to boast an arsenal of lethal weapons ready to make the difference at the end of an underwhelming display.

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Man City Player Ratings vs. Southampton (4-2-3-1)

Doku dazzled from the bench. | Michael Regan—The FA/The FA/Getty Images

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: James Trafford—6.9: Untested during the first half at Wembley and was helpless to deny Azaz from range.

RB: Matheus Nunes—7.9: Shook off an injury late in the first half and his influence grew as the clock ticked down, the right back taking up some threatening positions in and around Southampton’s box.

CB: John Stones—8.0: Relatively comfortable throughout, despite some promising Southampton counter attacks.

CB: Nathan Aké—7.4: Erratic during the first half when judging several high balls, but made an important intervention inside his own box immediately after the restart. Improved as the match progressed.

LB: Rayan Aït-Nouri—7.8: Practically operated as a left winger at times, offering City some necessary width when their forwards drifted centrally.

DM: Nico González—8.6: A fairly muted display was brought to life by an outrageous strike, the decisive moment during an arduous evening for the Cityzens.

DM: Mateo Kovačić—7.6: Often City’s likeliest to break the lines with a powerful burst or incisive through ball. An impressive display given it was his first start at club level this term.

RW: Rayan Cherki—7.5: After lighting up Wembley during the Carabao Cup final, Cherki was unable to conjure any such magic on this occasion. Still enjoyed some neat moments, though.

AM: Tijjani Reijnders—7.8: After thrashing the post in the fourth minute—a strike that ultimately would have been ruled out for offside—Reijnders was relatively quiet.

LW: Phil Foden—7.3: Picked up various positions across the forward line on what was an increasingly rare start, but wasted another opportunity with a subdued display.

ST: Omar Marmoush—6.2: Made some interesting sprints behind the Southampton defense, yet lacked the necessary composure or end product when receiving possession. Alarmingly wasteful when presented with chances.

SUB: Jérémy Doku (58’ for Kovačić)—9.3: Looked sharp on arrival and helped open up Southampton’s stubborn defensive blockade. Squeezed home the all-important equalizer.

SUB: Savinho (58’ for Foden)—6.7: Immediately injected some speed and ferocity into City’s attacking play.

SUB: Nico O’Reilly (71’ for Aït-Nouri)—6.4: Never tested defensively after coming on.

SUB: Erling Haaland (71’ for Marmoush)—6.1: No opportunities for Haaland to end his Wembley curse.

SUB: Bernardo Silva (86’ for Reijnders)—N/A

Subs not used: Gianluigi Donnarumma (GK), Abdukodir Khusanov, Marc Guéhi, Rico Lewis.

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What the Ratings Tell Us

Omar Marmoush was among the City stars who struggled. | Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images

• Eager eyes were cast to Phil Foden by both City and England supporters following his inclusion in the XI. Another underwhelming campaign is yet to be ignited and, unfortunately for the forward, the wait continues. Foden managed 31 touches in his hour on the field, yet was often on the fringes, and still looks a shadow of his former self.
• Purely based on endeavour, Omar Marmoush had a great game. Based on quality and impact, he endured a rotten evening. Spurning five shooting opportunities and 0.39 worth of expected goals, he proved a poor imitation of Erling Haaland, and was deservedly hooked with 20 minutes remaining as City chased an opener.
• Doku proved City’s game-changer. The Belgian’s trademark explosiveness helped shift the momentum after Southampton’s strike and he made it immediately clear what City had been lacking from the off. Walked away with a goal and assist following a transformative cameo.

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The Numbers That Explain Man City’s Narrow Win

• City’s slow start was characterized by a first-half expected goals tally of just 0.27. Mustering just one shot on target throughout the opening period, the absence of Haaland, Antoine Semenyo and Doku was alarmingly apparent.
• Guardiola’s men were much improved after the break, however, finishing with a total of 26 shots, six on target and three big chances as their star power paid off.
• History was made at Wembley as City became the first team to ever reach four consecutive FA Cup finals. They have only won one of the past three finals, though.

Statistic	Man City	Southampton
Possession	70%	30%
Expected Goals (xG)	1.87	0.20
Total Shots	26	4
Shots on Target	6	3
Big Chances	3	0
Passing Accuracy	90%	73%
Fouls Committed	9	9
Corners	10	3

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