FA Cup final record 'defines' Manchester City but treble still 'far, far away', says Pep Guardiola as players told to forget about football

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Manchester City set a new competition record by booking their place in a fourth consecutive Emirates FA Cup final, but Pep Guardiola has played down talk of a domestic treble, despite it being within six games of being achieved.

Guardiola calls on Gonzalez to ‘believe more in himself’ after sensational Southampton strike

Video credit: TNT Sports

Guardiola is rightly proud of his players for making history on Saturday, with the Catalan saying that City's 2-1 comeback victory over Championship side Southampton will leave a lasting legacy which "defines" his decade-long tenure.

A deflected strike from Jeremy Doku and a rasping drive from Nico Gonzalez cancelled out Finn Azaz's curling opener to ensure City will face either Chelsea or Leeds United in the FA Cup final on May 16 at Wembley, live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.

Their place in next month's showpiece was far from a foregone conclusion throughout an afternoon in which Tonda Eckert's Saints had a first-half goal disallowed and caused Guardiola to call upon the cavalry in search of solutions.

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Gonzalez provided a moment of individual brilliance to ultimately make the difference, but Guardiola was quick to play down talk about the prospect of emulating a feat he first achieved in 2019.

"Too much, far away," the City boss said, when asked about the possibility of lifting three domestic trophies this term.

"Before the final, before the Aston Villa game [on the final weekend] I would tell you it was a chance. Now it's far, far away."

Highlights: Gonzalez thunderbolt sees City edge past Southampton to reach fourth successive final

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Guardiola went on: "Now it's important, we have three days off for the players. I told them, 'don't think about football, rest'. Now we start a season with five games - plus the final."

City secured a fifth Carabao Cup in the past nine seasons under Guardiola in March after a 2-0 victory over Premier League rivals Arsenal, and they will be favourites to lift an eighth FA Cup when they return to Wembley in three weeks' time.

Guardiola praised the sustained excellence of his side during his decade in charge at Etihad Stadium, framing consistency - not just marquee trophies - as the true measure of a club’s identity.

"I think what defines, the people say now, [is] how many Champions Leagues and how many this and that, but what defines the club is when you win five Carabao Cups, and you play four finals in a row in the FA Cup. That defines [us]," Guardiola added.

"So, we did it. We did it again. We are in the final again. So we rest mentally and physically, because it has been a tough, tough week, a lot of emotions for these six games."

Guardiola made eight changes to the side that overcame Burnley 1-0 at Turf Moor in midweek, and while he will be concerned that some may not have taken their opportunity to make light work of lower-league opposition, Southampton arrived in the capital on a 19-match unbeaten run.

All that mattered was winning, and keeping momentum heading into the final five Premier League games of the season, starting away at Everton next Monday.

'What a game!' - Doku 'grateful' as Man City reach FOURTH successive Emirates FA Cup final

Video credit: TNT Sports

Speaking on TNT Sports after City held their nerve, former Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest boss Ange Postecoglou hailed Guardiola for the consistency he has shown across his glittering reign.

Postecoglou said: "Manchester City are just relentless with the standards they push.

"Pep Guardiola was up for this game, there was no sense that this was just another semi-final. It's so hard to get to the top, but they've managed to sustain those levels for a number of years.

"There's a drive inside Pep that very few people have. It's the reason he's above everyone else. He's created an environment in his pursuit of excellence.

"The FA Cup is usually harder, as it only needs one off-day in any knockout competition, and you miss out. He's again shown why he's the best, and that transfers through to his team."

Stream the Premier League, men’s and women’s FA Cups, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League and more live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.

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