So, the 2025 FA Cup will be contested between Crystal Palace and Manchester City. There is no doubt who will be favourites – when the sides met in a league contest just over a fortnight ago, City romped to a 5-2 victory. But this is the greatest cup competition in the world and anything can happen.
The opening semi-final on Saturday teatime had FA Cup 2025 highlights but certainly not in the manner I expected. My prediction was that, while the Eagles and Aston Villa would be closely matched, the Villains would not go four games in one season against the same opponents without a solitary victory. How wrong was I.
The absence of the in-form Marcus Rashford certainly didn’t help Unai Emery’s men but, on an energy-sapping pitch at Wembley, this looked one game too far for Villa towards the end of a rigorously long campaign. An Eberechi Eze stunner set the tone for Oliver Glasner’s men before a pair of second-half sizzlers from Ismaïla Sarr ensured a comprehensive victory.
After an even opening half hour, Eze produced a brilliant curling finish. He now has scored four times since breaking his duck for England against Latvia last month, having only previously managed three all season. Two fine saves from Dean Henderson prevented a Villa equaliser early in the second half and, while Jean-Philippe Mateta’s penalty (which struck the post) may have given them even more incentive, Sarr unleashed an unstoppable shot from outside the area shortly afterwards to make the tie seemingly safe.
Villa must have known it wasn’t going to be their day when substitute Leon Bailey saw his effort deflect off a team mate and over the bar. Salt was rubbed into the wound in stoppage time when Sarr finished off a pass from frontman Eddie Nketiah. A 3-0 victory in the semi-final – not bad for a side which enjoyed only 30 per cent possession in the national stadium.
Palace can now look forward to a third FA Cup final in their history, and perhaps, this time, their story will have a happy ending. The second semi-final saw the underdogs of Nottingham Forest try and prevent Manchester City (winners in 2023 and runners-up last year) from reaching a third successive final. Forest supporters were hoping the “new dad energy” would rub off on Chris Wood, one of the players of the season, with the frontman enjoying a renaissance at the age of 33.
It wasn’t to be though as City took charge with an early goal in each half and Forest realised it clearly wasn’t going to be there day as they breached their opponents’ rearguard only to be denied by the woodwork on no fewer than three occasions. Competing in their seventh successive FA Cup semi-final, the game was only two minutes old when City took the lead through one of their young players, Rico Lewis.
When Croatian defender Josko Gvardiol thumped home a header six minutes after the restart, shortly after a gild-edged miss by substitute Anthony Elanga, Forest had it all to do. That they subsequently hit the post three times simply highlighted how they were on the wrong side of the finest of margins. Morgan Gibbs-White was twice denied by the frame of the goal – the first after a blockbuster of a volley with his weaker left foot; the second from a tight angle.
Taiwo Awoniyi completed the unhappy hat-trick towards the end and Forest could hold their heads up high but departed with disappointment. Their despondent players now need to focus on the remaining five Premier League matches to finish in the top five and claim a deserved Champions League spot for next season.
As for City, at times they rode their luck, but their belief and character was evident as they became the first English side to reach three successive finals in both the FA Cup and League Cup. They will head back to the capital for a 29th time since 2007 next month – one shy of Chelsea’s record tally – with the opportunity of salvaging a poor domestic and Champions League season by ending it on a high with silverware.
Who is your money on? Before deciding, don’t forget to take a look at the SBOTOP FA Cup 2025 betting odds.
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