Man City Can't 'confuse' Season As Success - Guardiola

Boss Pep Guardiola has told Manchester City they cannot get "confused" this play has been a occurrence aft reaching nan FA Cup final.

Rico Lewis and Josko Gvardiol were connected target arsenic City hit Nottingham Forest to book a day pinch Crystal Palace connected Saturday, 17 May.

It will beryllium their 3rd consecutive FA Cup last and nan chance of an eighth occurrence successful nan competition, while Palace person ne'er won a awesome trophy.

The title is besides City's only chance of awesome silverware this season, isolated from nan Community Shield, arsenic their tally of 4 consecutive Premier League titles ended pinch Liverpool officially crowned champions connected Sunday.

With his broadside 4th successful nan table, 21 points adrift of Arne Slot's side, Guardiola warned an FA Cup triumph, and reaching adjacent season's Champions League pinch a top-five finish, will not beryllium capable to disguise a disappointing campaign.

"No," he said. "The harm would beryllium minimum. It's not going to confuse [that] nan play has been good. The nine has to return nan decision, nan correct ones, truthful adjacent play will beryllium better.

"We are a 1000 cardinal points down Liverpool. I said galore times nan play hasn't been bully because we specify if nan play is bully aliases not pinch nan Premier League.

"This play it could not happen, astatine nan aforesaid clip we tried to debar nan damage. We person to beryllium calm now and recover."

Lewis' second-minute extremity put City successful control, pinch nan England world impressing successful midfield, having been pushed up from his regular full-back role.

The 20-year-old believes his broadside are now moving successful nan correct guidance aft their faltering mid-season shape proved costly successful home and European competitions.

"We tin spell connected astir excuses but it wasn't bully capable astatine nan commencement of nan play and now we're picking ourselves backmost up and we've sewage momentum," said Lewis. "We've sewage nan chance of a trophy now and hopefully beryllium successful nan apical 4 to return into adjacent season.

"We showed character, this play we showed character. It's not been soft sailing but we person picked ourselves up and shown we are a apical team.

"We person apical players and we tin get done reliable situations. Now we are connected nan up we tin return it into adjacent season."

After starting nan play pinch a 13-game unbeaten run, City won conscionable erstwhile successful their adjacent 13 successful each competitions.

They had slipped to seventh spot connected Boxing Day aft a 1-1 tie pinch Everton, but person managed to climb backmost into Champions League contention.

Guardiola's broadside besides suffered their earliest exit from nan Champions League for 12 years aft losing to Real Madrid successful nan knockout play-offs successful February.

They continued to stutter, thrashed 5-1 astatine Arsenal successful February while Forest hit them 1-0 astatine nan City Ground successful March.

But City person won six of their past 7 games, including their last-gasp 2-1 occurrence complete top-five rivals Aston Villa connected Tuesday.

Midfielder Mateo Kovacic added: "We recovered ourselves again. The squad is getting stronger, everyone is 100% focused. A batch of players came backmost very strong.

"When we are each backmost we are a beardown team. This play has not been really we wanted, but we are successful different FA Cup last and successful nan apical four."

Lewis' early opener silenced nan 35,000 Forest fans down nan extremity and Nuno Espirito Santo's broadside grounded to onshore a rustle connected City earlier nan break.

Substitute Anthony Elanga should person made it 1-1, firing wide a infinitesimal aft coming connected astatine nan commencement of nan 2nd half, but Gvardiol's 51st-minute header put nan crippled beyond reach.

Gibbs-White smacked nan barroom from nan separator of nan area pinch an audacious volley, earlier hitting nan station from a tight perspective aft rounding City keeper Stefan Ortega pursuing Gvardiol's mistake.

Taiwo Awoniyi besides deed nan woodwork pinch an instinctive effort pursuing much Forest pressure.

"We started really severely again, it makes everything hard. It took clip to consciousness comfortable and adjust," said Nuno.

"The first half was difficult and successful nan 2nd half nan momentum changed a small bit. We had a mates of chances which could put nan crippled successful a different story. The boys gave it all, we person to judge we lost."

Forest adjacent big Brentford successful nan Premier League connected Thursday, sitting sixth successful nan array but knowing triumph will return them to 3rd spot and support their push for a Champions League spot.

"It's a sad day," added Nuno. "It's going to beryllium hard, but erstwhile we aftermath up and nan sadness is gone we cognize we person large things up of america to conflict for.

"It tin only bring america much power for nan past moments of nan season."

Midfielder Gibbs-White besides looked to assistance Forest, who hit relegation connected nan last time of past season.

He said: "We've sewage to put this down america now and attraction connected nan league. Five large finals, we are going to springiness it our absolute everything and dream for nan best."