On Saturday, Manchester United shockingly defeated the dominant and defending champions Manchester City by 2-1 at the Wembley Stadium in London. It was Manchester United and Erik Ten Hag’s second championship win as the Red Devil shattered the double win of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
The Red Devils sealed the Emirates FA Cup 2024 with the help of Argentine Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo, who destroyed the hopes of the Citizens. The final was the rematch of last year, in which City won by the same scoreline, and Guardiola’s men put up a great fight in that game.
Manchester United’s Total Control in the game
The match started in a great and surprising way for the Red Devils when they struck the net in the 30th minute by the 19-year-old Argentine Alejandro Garnacho, who simply tapped the ball into the empty net after the miscommunication from Stefan Ortega and Josko Gvardiol, making it 1-0.
But it didn’t end for the Red Devils, as they scored another surprising goal in the 39th minute by the English midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, who finished it with great style after a brilliant passing display from Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford, and Alejandro Garnacho, making it 2-0.
The first half ended surprisingly for City as they were leading for the first time against their arch-rivals. In the second half, the Citizens kept the pressure with the most possessions of 74 percent, the most passes (664), and the most shots (19). The Citizens kept on applying the pressure and finally opened their account in the 87th minute with the help of Belgian winger Jeremy Doku, whose long 20-yard shot ended straight into the bottom corner of the opposition’s net, leaving Andre Onana no chance of saving that. Doku was having an impressive season at City, with six goals and 10 assists for the Citizens.
The Citizens missed plenty of chances to level the game as the Norwegian monster and the EPL (English Premier League) Golden Boot winner Erling Haaland missed a chance by hitting the bar with a header, and another Argentine, Julian Alvarez, missed the chance from a closer range by missing the nets.
It was the Red Devil’s 13th FA Cup, as they are one behind Arsenal’s 14 victories, and it is Ten Hag’s second championship at the club after winning the Carabao Cup last year against Newcastle United by 2-0.
Is the Win the Red Devil’s Redemption?
There is no doubt that it was the Red Devil’s worst season, both for the club and the manager. But somehow magically magically, they ended their campaign with a win against their arch-rivals and a dominant opponent like Manchester City by lifting the 13th FA Cup and destroying the dreams for City’s double win this year.
Due to this win, the Red Devils are guaranteed a spot in the Europa League next season, and it will also help to save the job of Erik Ten Hag. According to some sources, the officials have already decided to sack the Dutchman, irrespective of the results at the Emirates FA Cup 2024 at Wembley Stadium in London, UK.
Your 2023/24 FA Cup winners…
🏆 MANCHESTER UNITED! 🏆#MUFC || #FACupFinal pic.twitter.com/UURrGlxqiz
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) May 25, 2024
It is almost similar to the case when another Dutchman and legendary manager, Louis Van Gaal, led the Red Devils to the FA Cup win against Crystal Palace in 2016 but was sacked from his job two days later. If the termination of Ten Hag is confirmed, he will at least leave the club by delivering another win for the Red Devils and also qualifying them for the Uefa Europa League next season.
On the other hand, it was not the end the Citizens expected, as they only gathered to win the EPL (English Premier League) and missed out on all the trophies, which was a bit of misery both for the club and their manager, Pep Guardiola.
Player of the Match
The Frenchman and former Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane produced and gave one of his finest and greatest performances for Manchester United in his final appearance for the club. He has struggled this season with his partner Lisandro Martinez but kept Haaland and other City players under control, which led to their 13th iconic win against the Citizens.
