Manchester City 1-2 Manchester United: Goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo secure the FA Cup victory for Erik ten Hag’s team.

Kobbie Mainoo of Manchester United sent the fans into a frenzy as he celebrated scoring their second goal in the Emirates FA Cup Final against Manchester City at Wembley Stadium. The match ended with a stunning 2-1 victory for Manchester United, leaving Pep Guardiola’s double dream shattered.

Right from the start, the Red Devils displayed their organization and threat on the counter-attack. They took the lead in the 30th minute when Alejandro Garnacho took advantage of a shocking mix-up between Stefan Ortega and Josko Gvardiol, calmly rolling the ball into an empty net.

Nine minutes later, Manchester United extended their lead with a brilliant move involving Marcus Rashford, Garnacho, and Bruno Fernandes. Kobbie Mainoo finished off the move with a fine first-time shot that left the keeper helpless.

Despite their aim to achieve back-to-back league and FA Cup doubles, Manchester City seemed out of sorts for most of the game. They did manage to hit the crossbar through Erling Haaland in the 55th minute. As the second half progressed, City increased their intensity and pulled one back in the 87th minute when substitute Jeremy Doku squeezed a 20-yard shot past Andre Onana at his near post.

However, it was too little, too late for the Premier League champions as Manchester United held on to avenge last year’s final defeat.

This victory brings some salvation for Manchester United and their manager Erik ten Hag, who have endured a difficult season. Despite registering their worst ever Premier League finish, lifting the FA Cup for the 13th time means they will play in Europe next season. It remains to be seen if this will be enough to save ten Hag’s job, as reports prior to the final suggested that the club had already decided to replace him regardless of the outcome.

For City, their performance fell short of their usual standards, missing out on another historic moment after securing four consecutive Premier League titles the previous week.

The player of the match was Raphael Varane from Manchester United. In his final game for the club, Varane produced one of his finest performances, along with his central defensive partner Lisandro Martinez. They effectively kept Haaland and the City attackers at bay, laying the foundations for the famous Cup triumph.

Player Ratings:
Manchester City: Ortega 5, Walker 7, Gvardiol 5, Ake 6, Stones 6, Rodri 6, Kovacic 6, De Bruyne 5, Foden 5, Silva 5, Haaland 5. Subs: Akanji 5, Doku 8, Alvarez 5.

Manchester United: Onana 8, Wan-Bissaka 9, Dalot 8, Martinez 9, Varane 9*, Amrabat 8, Mainoo 9, McTominay 8, Fernandes 8, Garnacho 9, Rashford 8. Subs: Evans 7, Hojlund 7, Mount n/a, Lindelof n/a.

In the match highlights, Garnacho opened the scoring in the 30th minute after a mix-up between Gvardiol and Ortega. Mainoo then doubled United’s lead in the 39th minute with a sublime counter-attack involving Rashford and Fernandes. Haaland hit the crossbar for City in the 55th minute, and Alvarez missed a chance to equalize in the 64th minute. Doku gave City a lifeline with a goal in the 87th minute, but it wasn’t enough to change the outcome of the match.