Manchester City are just one game away from completing the treble after Ilkay Gundogan scored twice in a 2-1 victory over Manchester United in the FA Cup final.
Just 12 seconds were on the clock when Ilkay Gundogan sensationally volleyed Manchester City into the lead, beating the previous fastest ever FA Cup final goal scored by Louis Saha after 25 seconds in the 2009 final.
United were on the brink of freezing on the big stage during a dominant opening from City but they stayed in the game and levelled when Jack Grealish was punished for handball, spotted by VAR, after blocking an Aaron Wan-Bissaka cross.
Bruno Fernandes did the rest from the penalty spot.
City regained their lead when Kevin De Bruyne picked out Gundogan on the edge of the box and he controlled his second volleyed finish of the game past David de Gea, who was caught a little flat-footed.
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Gundogan was denied a hat-trick by an offside flag while United threatened another equaliser but an almighty scramble in stoppage time somehow stayed out with Raphael Varane’s effort hitting the top of the crossbar.
Team news
- It was tried and tested all the way for Pep Guardiola. He picked the same XI that destroyed Real Madrid in Champions League second leg which meant Bernardo Silva started on the right of the front three and Kevin de Bruyne supported Erling Haaland.
- It was all about steel instead of style for Manchester United with Fred adding beef to their midfield to replace the injured Antony. Bruno Fernandes supported Marcus Rashford, who played through the middle.
Pep Guardiola’s side now face Inter Milan next Saturday in the Champions League final for a chance to become just the second team, after United in 1999, to complete the Premier League, FA Cup and European Cup treble.
Player ratings
Man City: Ortega (7), Walker (7), Dias (7), Akanji (7), Stones (8), Rodri (7), Silva (7), De Bruyne (7), Gundogan (9), Grealish (6), Haaland (7)
Subs: Foden (7), Ake (N/A), Laporte (N/A)
Man Utd: De Gea (6), Wan-Bissaka (6), Varane (6), Lindelof (6), Shaw (7), Casemiro (7), Eriksen (6), Fred (6), Fernandes (7), Rashford (6), Sancho (6)
Subs: Garnacho (8), Weghorst (6), McTominay (6)
Player of the match: Ilkay Gundogan
How glorious Gundogan put City on the brink of greatness…
Many fans were still taking their seats after the pre-match hullaballoo of fireworks, flags and flares when Gundogan produced a classic FA Cup moment.
A long ball pumped forward was won by Erling Haaland and Gundogan seized upon the loose ball from 25 yards, producing an epic volley that had shades of Zinedine Zidane’s famous Champions League final goal at Hampden Park.
United almost went under in the pressure cooker of the relentless City press but Haaland, who gave Varane the runaround, curled an effort wide while De Bruyne followed suit with an effort from range.
There was little evidence to foresee a United response was coming but it came via a penalty, awarded for a handball by Grealish as he went to block a cross with his arm in an unnatural decision. Fernandes duly obliged from the spot after a stuttering run-up. Victor Lindelof seemed to be struck by an object from the crowd in the celebrations but avoided any serious injury.
City remained fully focused on the job in hand after the break, keeping the ball with their usual assurance and quality. The goal came on 51 minutes courtesy of a player who is made for the big occasion. Gundogan met De Bruyne’s free-kick with just about enough punch to send a low, cutting strike through a body of players and out of the reach of De Gea.
Despite seeing little of the ball, United did make the most of their limited territory as the introduction of the dynamic Alejandro Garnacho added spark to their attacks. He was inches away from levelling it up with a curling effort from 20 yards while Marcus Rashford fired a fizzing drive just off target.
There was to be one last moment for drama in stoppage time but Varane’s looping header inside the six-yard box dropped onto the bar and Scott McTominay couldn’t force home the loose ball.
This was to be City’s FA Cup and United’s status as the only team to win treble is now very much in doubt. They need a favour from Inter Milan in the Champions League final in Istanbul on June 10.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola: “We played a really good game, we played with a lot of risk, the threat they have is so big especially Rashford but we controlled really well. In the first half we missed to attack on the right. We scored early in the second but a final against United always for many reasons difficult and the better team won. We are humble enough to accept how good they are. The emotions are so so special.
“We’ll have two days off, many players will come tomorrow for our physios. One more to go, they feel we are in a position we will probably never be in again and after we have three or four training sessions, prepare for Inter Milan, three days to watch it and go there to try.
“We have done incredible, five Premier Leagues, two FA Cups and Carabaos but we have to win the Champions League to be recognised how the team deserves to be. It has been amazing been fun but we have to win it. We are one game away. I said to the players you have to put the pressure on yourself to be recognised as something good you have to win Europe. We are one game away. I said to the players you have to put the pressure on yourself to be recognised as something good you have to win Europe.”
On Gundogan’s future: “He knows what I think. Maybe some of you know it. We are neighbours, we live in the same floor so for many years so he is a close friend of mine. He plays exceptional. Hopefully we can finish in a good way.”Share
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The video you are trying to watch cannot be viewed from your current country or locationPep Guardiola praises ‘exceptional’ Ilkay Gundogan and says he hopes the club can renew the German’s contract in the summer.
Ten Hag refuses to criticise De Gea
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says his team have had an
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag: “I don’t want to talk about criticism. We’ve had a fantastic season, including De Gea. If you consider before today both City and us had 42 wins so they now have one win more. So the difference was made today. We have played a fantastic season – better than we expected. We have qualified for the Champions League, won a trophy and got to another final. I’m really happy with the performance.
On watching Man City lift the trophy: “It’s a motivation, you have to feel it in your stomach. It has to be fuel. We want to be there and we deserved it but you have to grab it. That’s is the next step.
On planning for next season: “It’s now about finalising the season, be quiet. Analyse and set the right conclusions and then take action.
When does the 2023/24 season start?
The Premier League season will kick-off on August 12 and conclude nine months later on May 19, 2024.
The start is one week later than the 2022/23 launch as the schedule returns to normal following the Covid-19 pandemic and the Qatar 2022 World Cup, which provided disruption during the previous three seasons.
However, the fixture list provides for a return of the mid-season player break which will take place between January 13-20.
Fixtures for the new Premier League season will be revealed at 9am on Thursday June 15 and you can follow the announcements on Sky Sports News and across Sky Sports’ digital platforms.
