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Key events
31 min: Oh my! Garnacho took advantage of City’s high line to run into space chasing a long ball played from deep. From the edge of the area, Gvardiol tried to head the ball back to Ortegas, oblivious to the fact that his goalkeeper had sprinted off his line and was right behind him. With defender and goalkeeper stranded in no-man’s land, Garnacho pounced to more or less walk the loose ball into a gaping, empty goal. It was a fine bit of opportunism that paid handsome dividends.
GOAL! Man City 0-1 Man United (Garnacho 30)
Manchester United lead!!! Garnacho takes advantage of a mix-up on the edge of the City penalty area between Gvardiol and Ortega to pounce on a loose ball and score into an empty net.
28 min: Walker plays the ball out wide to Gvardiol on the left touchline but he is unable to do much with it. He runs into traffic in the form of Wan-Bissaka and the ball cannons off his shin for a goal-kick.
27 min: From the edge of the United penalty area, Rodri tries to stand the ball up for Haaland at the far post but once again, Varane is on hand to head it away.
24 min: While City have dominated possession so far, they don’t look on top of their game today. There’s a certain lack of finesse in their play in the final third and by their own very high standards, they’re spraying a lot of stray passes around. United are pressing them with great intensity but won’t be able to keep that up for more than an hour or so. They need to score a goal or two before their energy levels drop.
21 min: Stefan Ortega trties to play out from the back but doesn’t put enough weight on his pass to Mateo Kovacic. The Croatian midfielder is forced to stretch every sinew in his body to prevent Bruno Fernandes from getting to the ball first.
20 min: City continue to hog the ball, playing short pass after short pass in a bid to break down their opponents but coming up short, thus far, in their efforts to find a way through the United defence.
17 min: Foden tries to tee up Josko Gvardiol for a shot with a low diagonal pass out towards the left side of the United penalty area but overhits his delivery and sends the ball out for a goal kick.
16 min: A Martinez foul on Foden gives City a free-kick about 40 yards from the United goal in a central position. De Bruyne’s delivery into the penalty area is headed out towards the touchline by Varane, who is once again in the right place at the right time. It’s a throw-in for City, deep in United territory.
14 min: A poor pass from Onana in the direction of Diogo Dalot is intercepted by Phil Foden, who is on the stretch and can only put the ball out for a throw-in.
12 min: City continue to press and probe, then Kevin De Bruyne sends a cross into the United penalty area from the left. Raphael Varane is perfectly placed to head the ball clear before it reaches Haaland and Lisandro Martinez hacks it upfield.
10 min: City get forward. Bernardo Silva clips the ball from the right towards the far post, where Phil Foden can only put it into the side-netting from an extremely tight angle.
9 min: Alejandro Garnacho takes the game’s first shot in anger but his low effort is straight at Stefan Ortega in the Manchester City goal.
7 min: Kobbie Mainoo gets on the ball for United and plays it wide to Aaron Wan-Bissaka. United are forced backwards and play the ball back to Andre Onana in instalments. He hoofs it long toewards Marcus Rashford, who is beaten to the ball by Kyle Walker despite having a head start of a couple of yards as he tried to get in behind City’s high defensive line.
6 min: Manchester United are struggling to get a touch of the ball but concentrating fiercely on keeping their defensive shape.
5 min: Looking at replays of that penalty incident, I think Haaland might have had a case in arguing that it should have been a penalty. It was a clumsy challenge from Martinez, who appeared to bundle the Norwegian over as he tried to get on the end of a Bernardo Silva ball into the box. Pep Guardiola was furious at the lack of intervention by the referee.
3 min: United have lined up with no recognised striker and Bruno Fernandes is their furthest man forward. City are dictating the pace and hogging the ball in these very early stages.
1 min: Erling Haaland goes down in a sprawling heap on the edge of the United six-yard box, apparently the victim of a shove in the back from Lisandro Martinez. He appeals for a penalty but doesn’t get one.
Manchester City v Manchester United is go …
1 min: Manchester City get the ball rolling in the 143rd FA Cup final. Ity’s played straight back to Ortega, who pumps it forward towards Erling Haaland in an almost identical move to that which led to City’s opener in last season’s final. They don’t score this time.
The National Anthem: With the combined bands of His Majesty’s armed forces providing the music, Zara McFarlane sings God Save The King. Cue more pyrotechnics. Kick-off is less than two minutes away …
Out come the teams …
Not long now: Both managers are suited and booted as they lead their teams out on to the Wembley sward. In a further show of evidence that the FA Cup is losing its magic, neither Pep nor Erik have opted for a carnation in the lapel. The teams line up either side Andy Madley and his team of match officials and are introduced to Prince William and assorted other VIPs.
Abide with me: Young choral/opera singer Malakai Bayo takes to the rostrum assembled in the middle of the pitch to sing the traditional hymn, the end of which is greeted by a volley of pyrotechnics.
Erik ten Hag: “We don’t talk about my position”
Asked by ITV if he has been told whether he’ll be staying at Manchester United or leaving the club, Erik ten Hag plays a commendably straight bat. “It’s not about me,” he says. “It’s about the team. It’s a very important game for the team, the club and we only focus on that.” Pressed on the issue, he simply gives a different variation of the same answer.
In an interview published by a Dutch website today, Ten Hag criticised Manchester United fans for having “no sense of reality” and also stuck the boot into British pundits.
‘The pundits in England want to score, they want to show they are worth the money, and for that Manchester United is an easy prey,’ he told Dutch journalist Freek Jansen. “It’s the biggest club in England and possibly in the world. The club is either loved or hated, there is no in-between.
“So when things go bad, they all start talking and talking with very big words. All this negativity from these so called experts who don’t have the capability to analyse something with facts, but who prefer to attack people to make themselves look better. And these same people were the ones who gave me a pat on the back last year. Last year I was able to walk on water, this year I am the worst manager in the Premier League.”
Manchester City: The reigning champions were late out on to the pitch for their warm-up and will have less than 15 minutes to get their stretch and sweat on. They have to vacate the pitch by 2.40pm (BST) sharp, so singing’s Malakai Bayoh can perform the traditional FA Cup final day rendition of Abide With Me without fear of getting biffed in the head by a stray football or accidentally caught up in the middle of a rondo.
Manchester United: Casemiro is not fit enough to take his place on the Manchester United bench and his place among the substitutes will be taken by Willy Kambwala.
Those teams: Pep makes three changes to the side that beat West Ham last Sunday to secure victory in the Premier League. John Stones, Nathan Ake and Mateo Kovacic come into the side, with Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji and Jeremy Doku making way.
Veteran goalkeeper Scott Carson is on the bench in the absence of Ederson and with all due respect to Stefan Ortega, who wouldn’t love to see the extremely likeable and popular 38-year-old called into action at some point this afternoon?
Marcus Rashford is back in the United side for the first time since their narrow semi-final win over Coventry City last month, taking the place of Amed Diallo. The winger will be obviously be extra motivated to do well following his omission from Gareth Southgate’s England squad. Raphael Varane is also in Erik ten Hag’s side, in what will be his final game for Manchester United. Casemiro drops to the bench.
Manchester City v Manchester United line-ups
Manchester City: Ortega, Walker, Stones, Ake, Gvardiol, Rodrigo, Kovacic, De Bruyne, B Silva, Foden, Haaland
Subs: Carson, Dias, Grealish, Doku, Alvarez, Akanji, Nunes, Bobb, Lewis.
Manchester United: Onana, Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Martinez, Dalot, Mainoo, Amrabat, McTominay, Fernandes, Garnacho, Rashford.
Subs: Bayindir, Lindelof, Mount, Hojlund, Eriksen, Diallo, Casemiro, Antony, Evans.
Phil Foden: A substitute who had barely taken his seat on the bench when Ilkay Gundogan fired Manchester City ahead in last year’s final, the 23-year-old midfielder will revel in a far more senior and talismanic role this time around, writes Will Unwin.
Kobbie Mainoo: “It’s been a season of ups and downs”
Interview: The teenager conducts a conversation like he addresses the ball in Manchester United’s midfield: with a cool maturity that has been the calling card of a breakthrough season that may end in FA Cup glory and a place on England’s Euro 2024-bound plane. Jamie Jackson reports …
Wayne Rooney appointed Plymouth boss
If Erik ten Hag is sacked after today’s final, Manchester United fans will be gutted to learn that Wayne Rooney will not be available to replace him. Despite his disastrous 15-match spell in charge of Birmingham City earlier this season, United’s former striker and record goalscorer has just been appointed head coach at Championship club Plymouth Argyle.
Kyle Walker: “It’s a machine, a well-oiled machine”
“To be the first team to do the double Double … the first team to win four in a row, the first team since Manchester United to do the treble: we keep knocking down these hurdles and this is another that we need to knock down,” says the Manchester City captain. Words: Jamie Jackson.
Erik ten Hag: “We are here to win”
Programme notes: “It has been a long and sometimes difficult season but here we are, on the final day, with an opportunity to secure our second major trophy in two campaigns,” said the Manchester United manager in an interview with the FA. “For all the issues we have had to deal with, I think that says a lot about our personality as a group.
“When you enter any competition you aim to win it so having reached the FA Cup Final, we are here to get our hands on the FA Cup. Of course, we have the greatest respect for Pep Guardiola and his players – their records as a manager and a team in recent times demand that from us – but we know in ourselves that we have the talent and the character to beat any team when we play at our best with a good plan.
“This afternoon’s game gives us an opportunity to get another taste of the winning habit and give ourselves something more to build upon for next season and beyond. Our players, staff and supporters will all be unified today, giving everything for each other to make that happen.”
Pep Guardiola: “Getting to the final is never easy”
Programme notes: “It is an absolute privilege to be here with a chance to win this beautiful trophy once again,” said the Manchester City boss in his interview for the FA’s matchday programme. “Last season we played United here in the first ever Manchester derby in a Cup Final. To be back less than 12 months later, facing United again, is amazing. I know you guys are really excited for this game and I know how much it means to you all.
“We have prepared really well this week. We have studied United and our training sessions have been really good. My players look focused and ready. I can’t wait for the game to start.
“Getting to the Final is never easy. Hundreds of teams start off in the competition and every single one wants the same outcome. We have had to win five really tough matches to be here today and we have given so much already. We’ve had to fight and, believe me, we want to make the final step here today and take the trophy back to the Etihad.
“Honestly, winning this trophy in 2019 and 2023 were two of the best days I have had as a manager in football. This is a historic competition and it’s an honour to be involved. We will do absolutely everything we can to win this trophy again today and make our fans proud, I can promise you that.
“Enjoy the game.”
The double-Double: Eleven sides in history have fallen at the final hurdle while striving to win the the League and FA Cup two seasons in a row, while Manchester United famously didn’t even bother trying after winning the treble in 1999. Sachin Nakrani reports …
Today’s match officials
Early team news
Ederson is Manchester City’s only absentee through injury, as the Brazilian remains sidelined with the fractured eye socket he sustained in a collision with Cristian Romero during City’s win over Tottenham Hotspur last week. Stefan Ortega will start in goal for City and almost certainly would have anyway because he’s Pep Guardiola’s go-to FA Cup goalkeeper.
Erik ten Hag has already confirmed that Harry Maguire will miss today’s final, while Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia are also sidelined with injury. Victor Lindelof, Mason Mount and Anthony Martial are all back in training after recovering from injury and could feature in today’s squad, while Raphael Varane will hope to feature in some capacity in what will be his last game as a Manchester United player before leaving the club this summer.
FA Cup final: Manchester City v Manchester United
Following yesterday’s Guardian exclusive that Erik ten Hag will be relieved of his duties as Manchester United manager regardless of whether or not his team win this afternoon at Wembley, the 143rd FA Cup final was lent an extra layer of intrigue. United’s refusal to comment on the story suggested it is almost certainly true, even if the news is unlikely to have beenm leaked by any member of the Old Trafford hierarchy.
Given his apparent determination to increase standards of professionalism on and off the field around Old Trafford, Sir Jim Ratcliffe is bound to have been angered and a little embarrassed by a story that doesn’t reflect particularly well on the club the day before a major final; one that is a repeat of last year’s FA Cup showdown won by Manchester City.
Looking to achieve an unprecedented double-Double in English football, Pep Guardiola’s side are white-hot favourites to win today and it is a measure of how far United have fallen behind their rivals in the English football pecking order that they are such easily backable outsiders today.
In light of yesterday’s revelation, there’s every chance Erik ten Hag will field a team of overpaid but underachieving youngsters and primadonnas that he knows will have no chance of winning today, which is not to say he’ll do so deliberately as a final eff-you to his employers, but because he has no other choice. Kick-off at Wembley is at 3pm but we’ll have plenty of team news and build-up.
