Daniel Peretz will start in goal as Manchester City were playing Southampton in an FA Cup semi-final at Wembley that kicked off at 5.15pm BST, a match that decides which club advances to the final and that Southampton hope will cap a season-long celebration of a half-century since their only FA Cup triumph.
The early pattern at Wembley was City probing and Southampton compact. At 17 minutes Marmoush drifted into the Saints box from the left but could not get past Harwood-Bellis; at 19 minutes Mateo Kovacic drove down the inside-right channel and shot across the face of goal for a goal kick; at 22 minutes Stewart headed over before the offside flag went up. A dangerous free kick arrived at 25 minutes after Cherki fouled Fellows about 30 yards out, and by 32 minutes City were passing and probing but could find no way through a resolute Southampton defence.
Pep Guardiola was pictured on the touchline at 34 minutes giving technical orders as the match tightened. The action intensified at 36 minutes when Kovacic fizzed a pass down the inside left for Marmoush; his low drive was saved by Peretz for a corner, and from the resulting set play Reijnders attempted a bicycle kick. By 40 minutes City were probing again but Southampton were holding their shape. Live updates from the match were provided by as supporters followed every sequence.
Peretz, who called Wembley “the house of football,” has framed the day as both personal and collective. “I’m really excited. We are going to play in the house of football. Growing up, every kid has the dream to play in Wembley,” he said before kick-off. He added that Southampton were not merely there to soak up the occasion: "We are going to achieve it, but we are not just coming for the experience. We want to win this game and we will do everything for that." On coping with City’s firepower he was clear: "We have a lot of respect [for Man City] but no fear." And when asked what he expected, Peretz said bluntly: "I’m ready to face 20 shots" — "But I’m also ready to face one shot."
The match carries extra resonance for Southampton beyond the immediate prize. The club has spent the competition wearing a commemorative yellow and blue kit linked to the 50th anniversary of their only FA Cup victory in 1976. Ed Gibbons, who created a celebratory David Peach Melba dessert ahead of the semi-final, said: "It's 50 years since Saints only FA cup victory and we've spent the competition wearing a commemorative yellow and blue kit. To see the boys walk out at Wembley in it will truly be a special moment for the fans." His dish — a melon of nostalgia shaped by peaches, berries and a tuile FA Cup biscuit — underlined how the occasion has been treated as a celebration as much as a knockout tie. "For inspiration for this dish I looked back to that winning side. Low and behold the scorer of the winning goal as Saints beat Crystal Palace 2-0 to make the final that year was one David Peach. A taker of penalties and also a food stuff! Something truly is written in the stars!" he added. "A celebration like a second division side reaching a Wembley semi-final calls for a celebration dish!"
Context sharpens the stakes: Southampton reached this stage after knocking Arsenal out 2-1 in the quarter-final, while City arrived on a run that included a 4-0 victory over Liverpool in the Carabao Cup earlier in the campaign when Erling Haaland scored a hat-trick. The immediate outcome of Thursday’s match determines who advances to the FA Cup final and hands either side a chance at silverware this season.
The tension is plain at the touchline and on the pitch. Guardiola’s City are searching for a breakthrough against a side in commemorative colours prepared to defend for history; Peretz speaks like a player who has dreamed of this ground and now must match that dream with the saves that keep an upset alive. Whether the afternoon becomes a celebration for Saints, another step toward a domestic double for City, or simply a night of fine margins will be decided in the minutes that follow — but Peretz will enter them having said he is ready for whatever comes through the goalmouth at Wembley.
