Pep Guardiola plays down treble talk as Man City reach historic fourth straight FA Cup final

City needed a late surge to overcome Southampton 2-1 at Wembley, with substitutes Jeremy Doku and Nico Gonzalez turning the semi-final on its head in the closing stages. Finn Azaz had looked set to send the underdogs through with a superb long-range strike 11 minutes from time, but City responded almost immediately before González sealed victory with a powerful finish from distance.

The result not only preserved City's pursuit of multiple trophies but also secured an unprecedented milestone: no side has ever reached four successive FA Cup finals. Guardiola, now a decade into his tenure, framed the achievement as a defining marker of sustained excellence rather than a stepping stone to further glory.

"What defines this club is consistency," he said. "Winning multiple Carabao Cups and reaching four FA Cup finals in a row - that says everything about this team."

Despite already lifting the Carabao Cup and remaining firmly in the Premier League title race - where they are chasing Arsenal - Guardiola was quick to downplay suggestions of another domestic treble, a feat he previously accomplished in 2019.

"It's too far away," he said. "Maybe before the final game of the season you can talk about it, but now it's about resetting. The players need rest - mentally and physically - because it's been an intense period."

Instead, Guardiola has reframed the run-in as a sequence of decisive fixtures, describing the remaining five league matches and the FA Cup final as "six cup finals". City's margin for error is minimal as they attempt to overhaul Arsenal at the top, with their upcoming trip to Everton marking the start of a defining stretch.

The semi-final itself reflected that urgency. After a flat first half in which Southampton looked the more dangerous side, Guardiola's introduction of Doku, Erling Haaland and Bernardo Silva shifted the momentum decisively.

"The second half was exceptional," Guardiola said. "We created chance after chance. The wingers changed the pace completely. Football is unpredictable, but our reaction was outstanding."

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