For a brief moment at Wembley on Saturday it looked like Southampton could do the unthinkable and book themselves a place in the FA Cup final.
Finn Azaz's 79th-minute curling effort put the Saints 1-0 up and sent 40,000 fans into ecstasy.
But Manchester City made their superior possession tell three minutes later when Saints' full-back, James Bree, deflected Jérémy Doku's weak shot past Daniel Peretz. Then, with three minutes left to play, Nico González rifled a powerful shot into the top left-hand corner to put an end to the Saints' resistance.
Player ratings: Saints 1-2 Manchester City
Goalkeeper and defenders
Daniel Peretz - 9/10: An outstanding performance from the Israeli goalkeeper. Kept the Saints in with a chance with a number of fine saves before he was beaten by a deflected shot and then a worldie.
James Bree - 6/10: Defended stoutly against very tough opposition. Unlucky that the last touch for Doku's goal came off the inside of his legs. Unable to find a teammate with his passing but that is largely down to the quality of City's press.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis - 8/10: Southampton’s stand-in skipper will have been added to the notebook of every top six club in the Premier League with that performance. Not only did he clear one off his own goal line in the first period, but he also made seven clearances, two tackles, two interceptions, and two blocks.
Nathan Wood - 8/10: Wood was bizarrely one of Southampton's most assured players on the ball. He made an incredible tackle in the first half to deny Omar Marmoush a clear goal-scoring opportunity. A display to be proud of.
Welington - 7/10: The Brazilian made some great last-ditch tackles and didn't look out of his depth at this level. That might be something for the board to consider if the Saints do manage to get themselves promoted.
Midfielders
Cameron Bragg - 7/10: Bragg dug in well and maintained his discipline despite the Saints playing without the ball for very long periods of the game. His passing was impeccable.
Caspar Jander - 9/10: Jander's most impressive display of the season, in our book. He never gave Phil Foden a sniff and kept Rayan Cherki largely at bay.
Finn Azaz - 8/10: Azaz produced the moment of real quality that looked like it might win the match for the Saints. Turning on a pass from Kuryu Matsuki, he curled a right-footed beauty beyond James Trafford's outstretched hand. Limited opportunities to attack meant that most of his best work was done defensively.
Attackers
Tom Fellows - 7/10: Fellows will know that he should have gone for goal early in the second half after racing clear inside the box. He delayed, allowing Nathan Aké to get back and make a tackle.
Léo Scienza - 8/10: Southampton's greatest threat had the ball in the back of the City net in the first half, only to be denied by the offside flag. The Brazilian proved that he can play at the highest level if he is given the opportunity next season.
Ross Stewart - 6/10: The Lochness Drogba lived off scraps and hardly had a touch (14 touches) all match. Withdrawn for Cyle Larin on the hour mark.
Substitutes
61’ Cyle Larin - 6/10
61’ Shea Charles - 6/10
76’ Kuryu Matsuki - 7/10
89’ Cameron Archer - N/A
89’ Samuel Edozie - N/A
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