James McAtee delivers one-word Josko Gvardiol verdict after Man City beat Forest
Josko Gvardiol was the toast of Manchester City after his goal clinched their passage to the FA Cup final on Sunday.
Pep Guardiola‘s side are FA Cup finalists for the third season in a row after they beat Nottingham Forest 2-0 at Wembley, with Man City given the perfect opportunity to salvage an otherwise below-par season.
Rico Lewis got City off to the perfect start in West London with a goal inside two minutes to open their account, and the now-dethroned Premier League holders were well worthy of their half-time advantage.
Forest improved significantly in the second period as City target Morgan Gibbs-White led the charge, but that came after Gvardiol had doubled the lead in the 50th minute with a bullet header from a corner.
Gvardiol goal earns James McAtee praise at Man City
Man City’s performance did drop off to a significant degree in the second half, with Jack Grealish singled out for criticism, but that came with two goals already in the bag and one foot in next month’s final.
Grealish remained in high spirits alongside the rest of his team-mates post-match, and while Gvardiol has also come in for criticism with some questionable displays this season, he’s finally back in top form.
| Manchester City | Statistics | Nottingham Forest |
| 2 | Goals | 0 |
| 1.37 | xG | 1.68 |
| 6 / 14 | Shots on Target | 1 / 8 |
| 67% | Possession | 33% |
| 6 | Corners | 2 |
Guardiola has reshaped his rearguard to move Gvardiol back into central defence, and the Croatian now operates in his more natural position, next to academy graduate Nico O’Reilly as a makeshift left-back.
At full-time, Gvardiol took to Instagram (28 April), with a message to City fans which read: “Great performance today! On to the final!”
Grealish and Jeremy Doku both liked the post, while another academy starlet in the form of James McAtee delivered a one-word verdict of Gvardiol’s goal, and said: “Boooom!”
Josko Gvardiol central to Man City transfer plans
Gvardiol’s form since his move back into central defence has made clear to Guardiola that the 23-year-old shouldn’t be moved again, while O’Reilly has taken like a duck to water at left-back in his place.
City are still expected to be on the hunt for new full-backs in the transfer market, as ex-Man United scout Mick Brown told Football Insider that Guardiola wants to make five more top-class signings this summer.
Football Insider revealed on 27 April that City have already been told they’ll have to pay £50million to sign Pedro Porro from Tottenham, and there’s no doubt Guardiola will also want reinforcements on the other side of his defence.
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