Rico Lewis sends three-word Man City message, Jack Grealish, Oscar Bobb react
Manchester City had Rico Lewis to thank after they beat Nottingham Forest to seal their place in the FA Cup Final.
Pep Guardiola‘s side reached the decider of football’s oldest cup competition for a third straight year with a 2-0 win over Forest at Wembley, and that gives Man City the chance to salvage a season to forget.
The Blues fell out of contention in the Premier League, Champions League and EFL Cup many months ago, but silverware in the form of Guardiola’s third FA Cup could provide a significant silver lining for City.
Forest sit a point and two places behind City in the Premier League table with a game in hand, but it’ll be Guardiola’s side who face Crystal Palace in next month’s final regardless of how the Champions League race shapes up.
Man City stars react to Rico Lewis after Wembley breakthrough
Guardiola couldn’t have asked his side to start any better in Sunday’s semi-final, as City’s academy star Lewis found the bottom corner inside two minutes to immediately put Forest on the back foot.
City’s dominant first-half display didn’t yield another goal, but they doubled their advantage within five minutes of the second period through Josko Gvardiol’s header, and booked their place in the decider.
| 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 |
Forest’s fightback in the remainder of the match was spearheaded by City transfer target Morgan Gibbs-White, but after Guardiola’s side secured safe passage to the final, Lewis posted on Instagram (28 April).
Lewis’ three-word message for City’s fans was simple and said “Next stop… Wembley!!”, while several of his team-mates at the Etihad Stadium left comments in support, including Jack Grealish and Oscar Bobb.
Grealish, whose performance at Wembley didn’t go down well with Man City fans, said; “phwoaaaar top whattaaaa player”, and Bobb added; “too good”, in response to Lewis’ second-minute strike.
Guardiola can’t forget Rico Lewis amid Man City rebuild
Lewis’ ability to cover several positions – central and defensive midfield as well as both sides of defence – has arguably hindered his ability to nail down a place in City’s side, as he’s utilised all over the pitch.
Former Man United scout Mick Brown told Football Insider that Guardiola wants to make five top-class additions in the summer transfer window, with both full-back roles and central midfield a key focus point.
The development of Lewis and other youngsters like Nico O’Reilly has been a rare sources of positivity for City this season, and Guardiola would be wise to ensure their academy products don’t fall into the background as part of a new-look squad.