After defeating Manchester United 2-1 on Saturday at Wembley Stadium, Manchester City lifted the FA Cup for the seventh time. It moved closer to the extremely uncommon triple with a victory in the Champions League.
After a Bruno Fernandes penalty had tied the game before halftime for United, Ilkay Gundogan scored a record-setting goal 13 seconds in to tie the game with a volley off a corner kick in the second half of the FA Cup Final.
City’s victory will be all the sweeter given that United failed to thwart City in its bid to equal its 1998–1999 team and that the match was a Manchester derby, the first final matchup between the passionate rivals in FA Cup history.
When was the only time in English history when the European Cup was part of a treble? The Champions League Final pits Manchester City against Inter Milan next week. With a victory, they would have won the hat trick.
In his first year at the helm of United, Erik Ten Hag was shut out of a domestic cup double. Since its inception in 1871, Arsenal has won the most FA Cups (25) while Manchester United has won (12). The club’s latest triumph was in 2016.
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The Triple-A Man City proves its rivals don’t need their finest by defeating them easily
On another day, City would have won 3-0, but a questionable handball ruling against Jack Grealish resulted in a penalty kick for Bruno Fernandes, which resulted in a 1-1 tie.
United will point out that it had to come back after Ilkay Gundogan scored so quickly, but City never really got rolling in this one and still won quickly enough.
City allowed United to linger around, but they knew that eventually one of the greatest teams in football history would produce a moment of class.
Erling Haaland failed to score, and City missed several easy goals it usually scores. What does that portend for the next Champions League Final?
The verdict is still out in the open, but there’s no denying that City showed United just how far they need to go to catch up to the champions. Why? Because even City’s second-best performance was good enough to win.
Manchester City vs Manchester United player ratings: Stars of the Show
Ilkay Gundogan
Kevin De Bruyne
Bruno Fernandes
Kyle Walker
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How Manchester City & Manchester United played out
First Half
The fastest goal ever scored in a World Cup final. Man City goes ahead when Erling Haaland heads down a long ball and Ilkay Gundogan scores with his first touch from outside the box. 1-0 to Man City!
That has turned the game on its head, and City still has a chance to get very close before United can even touch the ball.
At the 15-minute mark, City had three of the four shot attempts and about 67 percent of the ball, but United’s press kept things interesting and there was some action in the United third.
Fine margins… could’ve been 2-0! Erling Haaland tries to poke a pass from Bernardo Silva toward the goal, but he can hardly get there, and De Gea easily grabs the ball. 17′
CLOSE! Kevin De Bruyne takes a shot with his left foot that goes just wide of the post. This is the latest near-miss for City. That shows who is in charge and keeps the Red Devils in the game. 29′
VAR CHECK. Could Man United be given a penalty? Aaron Wan-Bissaka heads a cross off Jack Grealish’s arm, and the video review puts Man United on the spot! PENALTY…
GOAL! Bruno Fernandes beats Stefan Ortega with a slow run-up, rolling the ball the other way to tie the score at 1-1.
It looks like the halftime score will be 1-1, which has to make Erik Ten Hag happy. Even people who don’t care about either team will be happy because the end of the game will be tense. United has the xG lead, 1.00-0.61, even though City has taken six of the ten shots and had 60% of the ball.
Second Half
GOAL! City started the second half on the front foot and didn’t make any changes. In the 51st minute, Ilkay Gundogan added to Man City’s history when he waited for De Bruyne’s lofted corner free kick and put the ball inside the near post. 2-1 to Man City.
SAVE! David De Gea moves to save De Bruyne’s leg when it’s close.
OFFSIDE GOAL: Gundogan is right next to a loose ball and ready to tap it in, but he is offside. It would have been a perfect game.
CLOSE! At the other end, United’s substitute Alejandro Garnacho just misses the far post with a shot. Those thin edges are still in this one!
Manchester United is running out of time. They only had seven minutes and a stoppage to stop City from winning the second part of its triple.
Gundogan is almost on his way to a hat trick again, but Luke Shaw gets in the way and forces a corner kick.
WOAH! Scott McTominay makes a lot of noise in Stefan Ortega’s box, which leads to a corner kick. This is very close to an equalizer in extra time. Kyle Walker has made it clear for now. Now there are less than two minutes left…
Ilkay Gundogan’s goal video: 13 seconds in!
Bruno Fernandes goal video: Penalty makes it 1-1
Ilkay Gundogan’s goal video: Patient, precise, pretty
Manchester City team news, injuries, lineup options
OUT: None
Manchester United team news, injuries, lineup options
OUT: Lisandro Martinez, Marcel Sabitzer, Donny van de Beek, Anthony Martial, Antony.
