Man City fight back to beat Southampton and reach fourth straight FA Cup final

Timeslive · Apr 25, 2026 · 559 words · By Reuters Agency

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.timeslive.co.za/sport/soccer/2026-04-25-man-city-fight-back-to-beat-…

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9 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 4

info Single Source 3

help Insufficient Evidence 2

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“Manchester City came from behind to beat Championship side Southampton 2-1 with a late goal from Nico Gonzalez at Wembley on Saturday to book a place in an unprecedented fourth consecutive FA Cup final and keep alive their hopes of a domestic treble.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results confirm that Manchester City beat Southampton 2-1 at Wembley, securing a place in the FA Cup final. One source specifically mentions Nico González scoring the winner in the 87th minute, and another confirms the 'fourth consecutive FA Cup final' achievement. The evidence supports the core facts of the match outcome and the final placement.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2024–25 FA Cup was the 144th season of the Football Association Challenge Cup, the oldest football tournament in the world. It was sponsored by Emirates and known as the Emirates FA Cup for sponso…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024–25_FA_Cup

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025–26 FA Cup is the 145th season of the Football Association Challenge Cup, the oldest football tournament in the world. It is sponsored by Emirates and known as the Emirates FA Cup for sponsors…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025–26_FA_Cup

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 1979 Football League Cup final took place on 17 March 1979 at Wembley Stadium. It was the nineteenth Football League Cup final and the thirteenth to be played at Wembley. It was contested between …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1979_Football_League_Cup_final

+ 3 more evidence sources

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“Southampton, who upset Arsenal 2-1 in the quarter-finals, looked poised to continue their dream run when Finn Azaz struck a gorgeous shot from distance in the 79th minute that James Trafford had little chance of stopping.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results confirm that Southampton scored against Manchester City, with one source specifically mentioning Finn Azaz scoring in the 79th minute, leading to a 1-0 scoreline at Wembley. This corroborates the claim that Southampton upset City in the quarter-finals (though the claim states quarter-finals, the evidence context suggests a semi-final match).

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025–26 season is the 121st season in the existence of Leicester City Football Club, and their 64th (non-consecutive) season in the second tier of English football. This season marked the club's r…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025–26_Leicester_City_F.C._se…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025–26 season is the 109th season in the history of Southampton, and the club's first season back in the Championship since the 2023–24 campaign, following their relegation from the Premier Leagu…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025–26_Southampton_F.C._seaso…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Southampton Football Club is a professional football club based in Southampton, Hampshire, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. Their home ground since …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southampton_F.C.

+ 3 more evidence sources

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“But in a thrilling second half of the semi-final, Jeremy Doku wiped out Southampton’s lead four minutes later when he worked the ball on to his right foot before unleashing a shot from the edge of the penalty area that deflected off James Bree and into the net.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

The claim states that Jeremy Doku scored a goal for Southampton, deflecting off James Bree. However, the evidence from web searches indicates that Jeremy Doku scored a goal for *Manchester City* against Southampton in the semi-final, not for Southampton. One source states: 'Manchester City 2 (Jeremy Doku 82′, Nico 87′)Southampton 1 (Finn Azaz 79′)' and another mentions Doku scoring after the break for City.

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web search NEUTRAL — Manchester City 2-1 Southampton: Jeremy Doku and Nico Gonzalez scored late goals to book a place in next month's FA Cup final against either Chelsea or Leeds
https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/man-city-southa…

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web search NEUTRAL — Manchester City 2 (Jeremy Doku 82′, Nico 87′)Southampton 1 (Finn Azaz 79′)Here are the City player ratings and match report as Manchester City have booked their place in this season's FA ...
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/manchester-city-2-southamp…

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web search NEUTRAL — But in a thrilling second half of the semi-final, Jeremy Doku wiped out Southampton's lead four minutes later when he worked the ball on to his right foot before unleashing a shot from the edge of ...
https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/man-city-fight-back-be…

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“Gonzalez struck a rocket from 30 yards out, the longest goal scored by any City player this season, in the 87th minute and City, who won the League Cup earlier this season and are neck and neck with Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table, held on for victory in a breathless final few minutes.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results confirm that Nico González scored the winner in the 87th minute. Furthermore, one source explicitly states that his strike was scored from 30.1 yards out, marking it as 'the longest range goal by a City player this season.' The context also supports City winning and the significance of the goal.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Manchester City Football Club is a professional football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's (West…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester_City_F.C.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — "Midnight City" is a song by French electronic music band M83. It was first released in France on 16 August 2011, as the lead single from the group's sixth studio album, Hurry Up, We're Dreaming (2011…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midnight_City

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Nicolás González Iglesias (born 3 January 2002), sometimes known mononymously as Nico, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Premier League club Manchester City.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nico_González_(footballer,_bor…

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“City, who have hoisted the FA Cup trophy seven times, will meet the winners of Sunday’s semi-final between Chelsea and Leeds United in the May 16 final at Wembley.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The claim specifies that City will meet the winner of the 'Chelsea vs. Leeds United' semi-final on May 16. While one web search result mentions a potential final date of May 16th, 2026, and another mentions a semi-final pairing involving Chelsea, the specific pairing of 'Chelsea vs. Leeds United' is not corroborated by multiple sources, and the overall structure of the final opponent is not definitively established across the evidence.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2024 FA Cup final was a football match played at Wembley Stadium in London, England, on 25 May 2024 to determine the winners of the 2023–24 FA Cup, Manchester United. It was the 143rd final of Eng…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_FA_Cup_final

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Chelsea Football Club is an English professional football club based in Fulham, West London, England. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football, and are one of the most succ…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelsea_F.C.

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“Southampton, who are 23 places below City in England’s football pyramid in fifth in the second-tier Championship, were the better team in the first half against what was virtually a second-string City line-up, and had a goal from Leo Scienza chalked off for offside.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The claim details Southampton's status in the Championship and a disallowed goal for Leo Scienza. While web search results confirm Southampton's Championship status and the match context, the specific details regarding Scienza's disallowed goal are not corroborated by multiple independent sources.

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web search NEUTRAL — Indeed, half of the Spaniard’s goals (2/4) in all competitions for City have come from outside the box. Guardiola’s side are now the first team to reach the FA Cup final in four consecutive seasons, t…
https://theanalyst.com/articles/man-city-vs-southampton-stat…

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web search NEUTRAL — The Masters, the Premier League run-in, the National: is there a better sporting month than April? | Sean Ingle. Read more.The teams are out! Manchester City in first-choice sky blue with white sash, …
https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2026/apr/25/manche…

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web search NEUTRAL — Manchester City is going to head to head Southampton on Apr 25, 2026, 4:15:00 PM UTC in FA Cup. Here you can stream Manchester City vs Southampton with predictions, live scores, lineups, schedules, fi…
https://www.camelscore.live/head-to-head/20260426-manchester…

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“But Pep Guardiola’s side were significantly better after the break, and a couple of key changes including sending on substitutes Erling Haaland and Doku, made a huge difference as City finished with 24 shots to Southampton’s four, and six shots on target for the victors to three for the Saints.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results confirm that Manchester City improved significantly after halftime and that substitutions were key to their victory. One source specifically mentions the high shot count (24 shots for City vs. 4 for Southampton), corroborating the tactical narrative of the second half.

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web search NEUTRAL — Manchester City. Erling Haaland. J. Doku. Premier League. FEATURES. Tottenham vs Manchester City. The Cityzens were dominant in an all-action first half, but were put to work after the break as they k…
https://www.goal.com/en-in/lists/man-city-player-ratings-vs-…

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web search NEUTRAL — After failing to score in City's opening 2024 Community Shield victory over Manchester United, but having successfully converted his penalty in the shoot-out, Haaland scored the club's first goal of t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erling_Haaland

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web search NEUTRAL — Manchester City produced a blistering performance to dismantle Manchester United in the 188th Manchester derby. Erling Haaland and Phil Foden both scored hat...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAAbqIbTsG8

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“The victory was City’s 22nd in a row against FA Cup opponents from lower-division teams, but Southampton made the Premier League titans dig deep for it.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The claim states this was City's 22nd consecutive win against lower-division opponents. While one web search result mentions City reaching a 'fourth consecutive FA Cup final,' the specific statistic of '22nd in a row' is not corroborated by a second independent source.

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web search NEUTRAL — The Manchester City team which won the FA Cup in 1903–04.Manchester City teams inducted to date. 2009. Manchester City league- and European cup-winning team of 1967–1970.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester_City_F.C.

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web search NEUTRAL — Manchester City booked their place in a fourth consecutive FA Cup final after defeating Southampton 2-1 at Wembley on Saturday. Nico González was the matchwinner for City in the 87th minute, just eigh…
https://theanalyst.com/articles/man-city-vs-southampton-stat…

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web search NEUTRAL — 36 min: … and suddenly City spring into life, Kovacic fizzing a pass down the inside left for Marmoush, who enters the area and whistles a low drive towards the bottom left. Peretz kicks clear for a c…
https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2026/apr/25/manche…

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“The loss ended Southampton’s 20-game unbeaten run across all competitions.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results or Wikipedia entries to confirm that Southampton's 20-game unbeaten run across all competitions ended with this loss.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.

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Man City fight back to beat Southampton and reach fourth straight FA Cup final

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