Man City’s unlikely £50m hero sinks Southampton to win FA Cup semi-final and keep treble bid alive

Manchester City are going to Wembley, again. City will return here on 16 May to meet either Chelsea or Leeds in what will be their fourth successive FA Cup final. If all goes to plan in these final weeks, in this strange crescendo of a season, it will be the second piece in a treble of trophies for Pep Guardiola’s side.

On a warm, hazy evening in London, City won this semi-final 2-1 but only after coming through an almighty scare against Southampton, who came desperately close to a memorable upset. Saints had soaked up waves of pressure before hitting City with a late suckerpunch when Finn Azaz spun and swept a beautifully arcing shot into the top corner of James Trafford’s goal. Southampton’s half of the stadium went off, and anything that could be launched into the air went in the air: balloons, hats, scarves, limbs.

But the elation didn’t last. Jeremy Doku’s deflected shot brought City level three minutes later, before Nico Gonzalez thundered in City’s winner from long range. Nico Gonzalez celebrates scoring City's winning goal (Getty) It was the right result on the balance of play and yet Southampton will go away feeling they had a famous win snatched away, in this place, in this year of all years, 50 years after Bobby Stokes’ goal beat Manchester United to win the 1976 FA Cup , the club’s only major trophy in 140 years.

Saints’ rearguard action was immaculate up to those final minutes. The captain Taylor Harwood-Bellis thwarted City with tackles and blocks, Caspar Jander spoiled their midfield patterns, Leo Scienza was excellent down the left and goalkeeper Daniel Peretz made a series of crucial saves. In those brief moments when the score read 1-0, it felt like they really might make history rhyme half a century later.