[ad_1]
It was, quite simply, the finest Manchester United result since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013. The bar has been lowered, the trophies drying up but this was a day for their fans to celebrate wildly – and not only because they stopped Manchester City from making yet more history.
Another Premier League and FA Cup double had been on for Pep Guardiola and his all-conquering team to follow the one from last season and the truth was that nobody gave United a prayer. Erik ten Hag’s time as the manager is up after the most traumatic of seasons; eighth in the league their lowest finish since 1989-90. And yet United refused to yield.
It was the young stars, Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo, who scored their goals during a golden first half; never before have two teenagers scored in an FA Cup final. Ten Hag’s gameplan was working perfectly.
It was a different story in the second half, City utterly dominant, creating plenty. Just when it looked as though United had weathered the storm, the City substitute, Jérémy Doku, caught out André Onana from distance at the goalkeeper’s near post; a horrible moment for Onana.
There would be seven minutes of stoppage time, it was nerve-shredding for all connected to United but when the final whistle blew, it was possible to temporarily forget all of what had gone before during the season. This stood in isolation. Glorious so.
Inspired by Raphaël Varane and Lisandro Martínez, United defended well and there would be the added bonus of Europa League qualification. For City, there would be only regrets. They did not do enough and it is certainly not very often that this sentence can be written.
City had won six of the previous seven derbies against United, including the one here in last season’s FA Cup final when Ilkay Gündogan opened the scoring inside 13 seconds. It was possible to get ridiculously long odds on United, who had brought the drama (as usual), not to mention the instability in terms of the Ten Hag situation.
Another day, another detail in the story. Ten Hag had given an interview in his native Holland that came out in the morning in which he said his critics had “no sense of reality” if they expected more from United this season. All in all, United’s preparations were sub-optimal.
City’s bolt from the blocks had shaped last season’s final. Here, they sought to draw United’s sting at the outset with patient possession. Ten Hag had continued without a pure No 9, Rasmus Højlund among the substitutes, and it was Bruno Fernandes as the false nine; Scott McTominay in support.
United’s concentration out of possession had to be on point, especially to contain Phil Foden, who drifted into central areas from his starting position on the left, Josko Gvardiol providing the width from left-back. Foden would pop up in the inside-right channel. Guardiola wanted to grind United down, to wear them out physically and mentally.
It was United, though, who drew City’s sting and their supporters were in dreamland by the interval; two goals to the good, Onana having not been threatened. Ten Hag had to be happy that he was able to start Varane and Martínez together in central defence for the first time since 1 February.
Quick Guide
How do I sign up for sport breaking news alerts?
Show
- Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhone or the Google Play store on Android by searching for ‘The Guardian’.
- If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you’re on the most recent version.
- In the Guardian app, tap the Menu button at the bottom right, then go to Settings (the gear icon), then Notifications.
- Turn on sport notifications.
United had just 26% of the ball before the interval but it was what they did with it that counted, the highlight being Fernandes’s sumptuous assist for Mainoo’s goal. Fernandes had seen the picture as Garnacho drove in from the right and when the ball came to him, he diverted it with the deftest of touches for Mainoo, who had run off Kyle Walker. The low finish into the far corner for 2-0 bristled with assurance.
after newsletter promotion
United had brought the hustle, at times, as City tried to play out from the back and the breakthrough goal had been about the persistence of Garnacho, who harried Gvardiol as they chased a high Diogo Dalot punt forward towards the edge of Stefan Ortega’s area. Cue the disastrous mix-up between the two City players. After the ball had bounced, Gvardiol went to head back to his goalkeeper except that Ortega was not there; he was out of position. Garnacho reacted the quickest to run in onto the loose ball to tap into the empty net.
Moments before United’s second goal, they had almost sprung through when Garnacho got away to cross for Marcus Rashford to finish at the far post. Garnacho was flagged for offside but City’s high line looked far from impregnable.
City reset at the interval, Guardiola’s big move being Doku for Mateo Kovacic, which saw Foden moved inside on a permanent basis. United had their flickers on the ball but it was clear that they would live or die by their defensive work.
City pushed; the hearts of the United fans hammered. Doku crossed low for Foden but City’s main man could not sort out his feet. From another Doku cross, Erling Haaland spun and rattled the crossbar. Walker detonated a long-range blast that Onana did well to turn around the post.
City’s first-half difficulties in creative terms were forgotten. Now they probed with menace, Foden at the heart of everything, his status further enhanced when Guardiola hooked the out-of-sorts Kevin De Bruyne and introduced Julián Álvarez.
United wanted to chalk off blocks of time. And City misses. Álvarez provided two more, lifting one chance high and dragging another wide of the far post after a Foden pass. It was a glaring miss.
What did City have left? The Doku goal that hinted at redemption. It did not come.