March 30, (THEWILL) – Manchester City progressed to the FA Cup semi-finals following a 2-1 comeback victory against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.
Substitute Nico O’Reilly provided both assists after being introduced at half-time, setting up Erling Haaland for the equaliser before creating the winning goal for Omar Marmoush.
The defending English Premier League champions had earlier squandered opportunities to take the lead when Haaland missed a penalty after Tyler Adams handled in the box.
The Norwegian striker also failed to convert when one-on-one with Bournemouth goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Bournemouth capitalised on these missed chances, taking the lead in the 21st minute through Evanilson after a mistake by Matheus Nunes.
Pep Guardiola’s tactical change at half-time proved decisive, with 20-year-old O’Reilly replacing Abdukodir Khusanov.
The young talent immediately made an impact, delivering a cross from the left wing for Haaland to finish at the back post four minutes after the restart.
O’Reilly then produced a clever reverse pass that allowed fellow substitute Marmoush to slot the ball under Kepa for the winning goal.
City nearly extended their advantage when Ilkay Gundogan struck the woodwork, but their two goals proved sufficient to continue their impressive run in the competition.
This victory marks City’s seventh consecutive appearance in the FA Cup semi-finals, where they will face Nottingham Forest at Wembley Stadium.
The result keeps City on course for another potential trophy in the 2024/2025 season under Guardiola.
Last year’s runners-up remain favourites to reach the final again, with their depth of talent and ability to change matches through substitutions once more proving crucial in this quarter-final encounter.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
