Treble still alive for City as they seal FA Cup win with Gundogan double
CAPTAIN FANTASTIC: Manchester City's captain Ilkay Gundogan's two goals seals FA Cup win over rivals Manchester United and keep treble ambitions alive.
Ilkay Gundogan’s double, including the fastest FA Cup Final goal of all time, has taken Manchester City to within touching distance of an historic Treble, and there was nothing- their bitter rivals could do about it at Wembley.
United, of course, were desperate to prevent their noisy neighbours having a chance to replicating their own achievement of 1999, when they won the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in the same season.
But now all they can do is sit and bite their fingernails when City head to Istanbul to play Inter Milan next weekend.
All the pre-match talk was of Erling Haaland's influence on this game, but in fact the hero was his remarkable captain Gundogan, a player rumoured to be leaving the club this summer but who surely must now stay given what he has done for them.
His two goals ensured a controversial penalty from United’s own skipper, Bruno Fernandes, did not decide the Cup – and his man of the match award was richly deserved.
He made his mark in just 12 seconds at Wembley, in spectacular fashion.
From the kick-off, the ball was played back to goalkeeper Stefan Ortega, whose long ball was knocked on by Kevin de Bruyne, falling perfectly for his skipper.
The German international, who has already lifted the Premier League trophy for City this season, then hit an exquisite dipping volley that left David De Gea spellbound as it flew high into the net.
There were just 12 seconds on the clock as the ball crossed the line, comfortably beating Louis Saha’s previous record for the fastest FA Cup Final goal of all time (his came after 25 seconds for Everton against Chelsea in 2009).
City had begun the demolition job of their bitter rivals, it seemed, before United had even got themselves organised.
It could have been 2-0 shortly after, when Rodri’s header from a De Bruyne free-kick narrowly missed the target – and again after 17 minutes when Erling Haaland slid onto a through ball but couldn’t quite finish.
It was only then that the game even began to settle down.
What a remarkable way to begin the most anticipated and pressurised FA Cup Final in recent memory; with City looking for the second leg of a Treble and United, who finished 14 points behind them in the league, desperate to stop them.
But there was a twist when out of the blue, United replied in controversial circumstances.
Jack Grealish jumped for a ball in the area with Aaron Wan Bissaka and the ball flicked his hand. The City man had his back to the ball, and it was clearly unintentional, but after two long minutes VAR decided otherwise. A lesson that these days you simply cannot raise your hand above your head in the penalty area and expect the replays to be kind to you.
Fernandes, to his credit, then kept his nerve despite barracking from the City end to coolly score from the spot. Suddenly, with both captains on the scoresheet, the game was back on, and the atmosphere changed.
Could United, having survived a harrowing opening 20 minutes, turn it around in the second half?
The answer, provided by City, was a definitive ‘no’. By the 51st minute, Pep Guardiola’s side were back ahead thanks to a clever corner from De Buyne, which was spread right out to the edge of the area – where Gundogan sliced an effort into the corner of the net, with De Gea diving late.
Once again, the blue tide flowed forward and United were back in defensive mode, reminded that their brief parity was fortunate.
De Gea saved with his legs from De Bruyne as City piled on the pressure, and with Eriksen and Fred overrun in midfield there wasn’t much hope of United enjoying meaningful possession.
Instead, Gundogan was only denied a hat-trick by an offside flag when Haaland’s shot was saved by De Gea and he diligently followed it in after 71 minutes.
United did improve when Alejandro Garnacho replaced the listless Christian Eriksen, but not enough and City’s defence, which has been vastly improved this season, showed they have the concentration and determination to hold out under pressure.
There was almost injury time drama when Raphael Varne hit the crossbar with a header and Ortega scrambled the follow-up away. But the blue half of Manchester was destined to take the trophy, the second 'double' in their history.
Two down, one to go. The noisy neighbours are shouting louder than ever and, if you’re a red, it’s going to hurt.
: Ortega 7, Walker 7 (Laporte 90), Dias 7, Akanji 7 ; Stones 7, Rodri 8; De Bruyne 9 (Foden 77; 6), Gundogan 9, Silva 6, Grealish 6 (Ake 89); Haaland 6 Unused subs: Ederson, Phillips, Alvarez, Mahrez, Palmer, Lewis.
: De Gea 6, Wan-Bissaka 6, Varane 7, Lindelof 7 (McTominay 84: 6), Shaw 7; Casemiro 6, Fred 6; Eriksen 5 (Garnacho 62; 7), Fernandes 7, Sancho 6 (Weghorst 78; 6) Rashford 7 Booked: Rodri, Ortega Unused subs: Butland, Dalot, Maguire, Malacia, Pellistri, Elanga,
: Wan Bissaka, Fred
Paul Tierney
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