Manchester City completed the second stage of a possible three-tier success story across the 2022-23 campaign after Pep Guardiola’s men lifted the seventh FA Cup in the club’s history during the first-ever Manchester Derby in the historic cup competition, outstripping Erik ten hag’s Manchester United 2-1 at Wembley.
MANCHESTER CITY ARE FA CUP CHAMPIONS 🏆
THEIR FIRST SINCE 2019 👏 pic.twitter.com/hsnqRsys7R
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) June 3, 2023
During a season where the iconic Spanish tactician has a chance to secure the first major treble for an English club to include a Champions League win since United managed to achieve the same feat back in 1999, City has risen to heights where many consider them to be the top club in the world after outpacing Arsenal to their fifth Premier League title in six seasons.
United, under Ten Hag, hoped to have something to say in their own right after the Dutchman had secured the EFL Cup earlier this season, with the former Ajax Amsterdam manager looking to bag his second major trophy in his first season in the English top flight to offer plenty of evidence to suggest that he is capable of leading the club to even bigger things in 2023-24.
But that was not to be this afternoon in the capital, with veteran German midfielder İlkay Gündoğan giving City the lead inside the first 60 seconds to continue his fantastic run of form this season, with Belgian creator-in-chief Kevin de Bruyne bagging what was the first of his two assists on the day.
GUNDOGAN SCORES THE FASTEST GOAL EVER IN AN FA CUP FINAL 😤
CITY LEAD UNITED! pic.twitter.com/txTMksdVgK
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) June 3, 2023
The Red Devils finally settled into proceedings after the twenty-minute mark and would be gifted a somewhat fortuitous penalty in the 33rd minute after Jack Grealish was judged to have committed handball before Bruno Fernandes calmly dispatched the equalizer from the penalty spot.
City would come out swinging after the halftime interval, however, with United truly failing to ever really dominate the match at any period across the 90-minute performance. That dynamic paid dividends just six minutes after the restart when Gündoğan completed his brace, bagging what would go on to be the match-winner.
Certainly, much of United’s squad struggles came home to roost on a day when only the likes of Wout Weghorst and Alejandro Garnacho could come off the bench to try to give the club some sort of spark, but it would hardly be enough.
In the end, City now is just one week away from a clash with Inter Milan and a chance to fully cement Guardiola’s legacy as one of the greatest managers of the Premier League era, while United can still hold their heads high after what has been a credible season after an incredibly poor start.
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