Manchester City has taken one step closer to achieving a treble of major trophies after beating Manchester United 2-1 in the FA Cup final on Saturday. Having already retained the Premier League title, City now only require a Champions League victory to cement their place in English footballing history under the tutelage of Pep Guardiola.
The match was off to a blazing start with Ilkay Gundogan, City’s captain, scoring the quickest goal in an FA Cup final after just 13 seconds. Gundogan's goal is one that he would likely rank amongst his best for City. However, United managed to pull one back through a 33rd-minute penalty converted by midfielder Bruno Fernandes, against the run of play, after Jack Grealish was recorded to have handled the ball.
Gundogan wasn't done with expectations as he scored the deciding goal in the 51st minute, albeit in somewhat fortuitous fashion. Meeting a cross from Kevin De Bruyne from a free-kick with a left-foot volley that bobbled past goalkeeper David De Gea, the ball had bounced between two United defenders before finding the back of the net.
Despite Manchester United looking to protect its prestigious status as the only team to win the league-FA Cup-European Cup treble in 1999, it now needs Inter Milan to do them a favor in the Champions League final in Istanbul on June 10.
The match bore witness to the 142nd FA Cup final and the first between the two Manchester clubs. Prince William and United's David Beckham were among the notable personalities present at the national stadium in England. This win for City, marked their 13th team in English soccer history to secure a league-and-cup double, whilst the Abu Dhabi-controlled team won its 16th trophy since 2011 when City ended its 35-year title drought by winning the FA Cup.
This is also Guardiola’s 13th trophy in his seven years at the club and the 34th of his managerial career. These honors come in the same season that the club was charged by the Premier League with over 100 breaches of financial rules. However, City has denied the charges.
As the final whistle blew, City's players took to the halfway line to jump for joy in front of their fans waving blue and white flags. At the heart of these celebrations was Gundogan, who may be set to leave the club after the Champions League final as he is out of contract. However, he would depart as a club legend.
Gundogan has been arguably City’s performer of the season and played a pivotal role in the club's last game of last season when he scored two late goals to complete a turnaround from a 2-0 deficit against Aston Villa, clinching the Premier League with a 3-2 win.
Despite United having won the League Cup in February, their first year in charge under Erik ten Hag's leadership, a win in the FA Cup would have cemented their legacy like their class of 1999. However, they were dominated until the last 10 minutes when substitute Alejandro Garnacho started causing havoc down the left wing for United. Garnacho created a chance in stoppage time, seeing Raphael Varane bundle the ball onto the top of the crossbar before City cleared.