Manchester City sink Manchester United in FA Cup Final to complete domestic double

Manchester City sink Manchester United in FA Cup Final to complete domestic double

Manchester City took another step towards a historic treble as they followed up their Premier League triumph with more domestic success, beating local rivals Manchester United 2-1 to win the 2023 FA Cup Final on Saturday at Wembley. A pair of goals from Ilkay Gundogan to start each half led Pep Guardiola’s side to their seventh FA Cup title, denying Manchester United a second victory at Wembley in 2023 in the first meeting between the two clubs in a major final.

City got off to the perfect start in the all-Manchester affair, with skipper Ilkay Gundogan scoring the fastest goal in the history of the FA Cup Final, taking just 12 seconds to find the back of the net. The German pounced on a loose header from Victor Lindelof at the edge of the area and sent a stunning volley past David de Gea, giving City the early advantage in the London sunshine.

United struggled to cope with the quality on show from Manchester City throughout the opening 30 minutes, with Rodri heading wide from a set-piece and Erling Haaland nearly converting a Gundogan cross to double the advantage.

Erik ten Hag’s side finally got a lucky break after the half-hour mark, with the referee controversially pointing to the spot after the ball struck Jack Grealish’s arm in the penalty area. Bruno Fernandes calmly slotted his penalty past Stefan Ortega in the City net, levelling the scores against the run of play.

City had a penalty shout of their own turned down before the break but took just seven minutes in the second half to restore their lead. Ilkay Gundogan stepped up to score another crucial goal for Pep Guardiola’s side, converting another volley from the edge of the area through a crowd of players. The German’s left-footed effort lacked the same ferocity compared to his strike earlier in the game but had enough power to sneak past a scrambling David de Gea and put City 2-1 ahead.

Chasing a second equaliser, the Red Devils brought on Alejandro Garnacho for Christian Eriksen, and the Argentinian teenager re-energised the United attack in the final 30 minutes, curling one wide of the post after cutting inside. City endured a nervy finish, with the ball looping onto the crossbar in stoppage time after Stefan Ortega denied Raphael Varane, but eventually held on to win their second FA Cup title under Pep Guardiola.

Having completed the domestic double, Manchester City now remain just one win away from completing an era-defining treble. The Cityzens face Internazionale in the UEFA Champions League Final next Saturday and can become just the second English team after Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United in 1999 to win all three major trophies in a single season with a victory over the Italian side in Istanbul.