Against all odds, Manchester United have won the FA Cup by defeating the champions of England, Manchester City! This season has been one of the worst for Manchester United. They failed to enter the top four and finished the league in 8th. Moreover, the Red Devils have conceded the most goals in a single season in the club’s history. Yet Manchester United outplayed Man City in the final of the FA Cup and secured the trophy.
This is Man United’s first FA Cup trophy in eight years, as they last won this competition in 2016 under Luis Van Gaal. Moreover, Erik Ten Hag secured his second trophy for Manchester United following the Carabao Cup last year.
As It Happened
Manchester City were the clear favorite at Wembley for the FA Cup final. City boss Pep Guardiola set up his team formation with 4-2-3-1, leaving Erling Haaland in the front with the back of Phil Foden, Kevin De Bruyne, and Bernardo Silva.
Erik Ten Hag, on the other hand, played his side in a 4-2-2-2 formation, using Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho in the frontline.
However, the match started with both sides playing attacking football. But the real chance came for Manchester United when City defender Gvardiol made a mistake before halftime. In the 30th minute, Gvardiol made a wrong pass, which led Alejandro Garnacho to score the goal at Wembley.
Man United doubled their lead within a few minutes when another teenager found the back of the net for the Red Devils. This time, Kobbie Mainoo scored in the 39th minute with the help of Bruno Fernandes. As teenagers, Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo are the first two players to score in the FA Cup after Cristiano Ronaldo in 2004.
However, coming back from the break, the Citizens had gone wild and highly pressed the opponent. But Man United’s defense did a fantastic job and didn’t let City score until the final ten minutes. Although Jeremy Doku returned a goal for Man City in the 87th minute, it was not enough to stop Manchester United from winning the FA Cup. In the end, Manchester United win the trophy at Wembley, which might save Ten Hag’s job at the club.
But Man United’s manager Erik Ten Hag does not want to think about it. When asked about his future at Man United, Ten Hag replied, “I don’t know. The only thing I’m doing is preparing my team, developing my team. This is a project for me. When I came in I can say it was a mess. Now we are better. We are not where we want to be.”
“I tell you [media] this all year – when the players are fit we can play good football. A very good performance against the best team in the world,” added Ten Hag.