Manchester City took another step towards the treble with a 2-1 win over Manchester United in the FA Cup final.
Ilkay Gündogan scored after just 12 seconds to put Pep Guardiola’s side ahead before a Bruno Fernandes penalty equalized just after half an hour after a Jack Grealish handball. But Gündogan decided the decision with his second goal of the day from outside the penalty area, five minutes into the second half.
Here, our writers analyze the key talking points of a dramatic play.
Destroy the Gundogoal
Despite all the majestic and innovative football Manchester City have played this season, their opening goal was their best ever.
Additionally, out of all 142 FA Cup finals, this was the fastest goal in the history of the event. Six ball contacts, 12 seconds and a great finish from City captain Ilkay Gündogan – who started and ended the sequence.
City have usually played long games earlier this season, with Gündogan this time passing straight back to goalkeeper Stefan Ortega, who calmly weighs his options while getting the ball out of his feet.
As you can see below, City have overloaded the right side of the field, leaving Ortega looking for a floating ball forward towards Erling Haaland’s head.
Haaland wins the first header against Casemiro, and you can already see Gündogan free in the middle of the field, working out the scenarios so early. A key strength of the German game is knowing when to pull back from the action and meet a loose ball when it falls.
And didn’t he do it here!
As Victor Lindelof competes with Kevin De Bruyne for second ball, a shot from De Bruyne increases his trajectory and perfectly matches the onrushing Gundogan, more than 20 yards from goal.
A highly critical view would be that United midfielders Eriksen, Fred and Casemiro are all behind the game when Gundogan shoots, but it’s worth simply acknowledging the beauty of the goal.
Using the outside of his foot, Gündogan sends the ball towards the near post rather than across his body – which is a far more difficult technique.
With his weight distributed more to his right foot, goalkeeper David de Gea has little to do but watch the ball sail past him to the left and into the top corner of his net.
Just 12 seconds. Barely enough time for all the fans to take their seats. Barely enough time to watch the music box on TV. Barely enough time for United manager Erik ten Hag to yell, “Let’s keep the tights going in the early stages, lads!”.
Mark Carey
De Geas sales
A common thread running through Manchester United’s 2022/23 season was David de Gea’s distribution, which put a cap on what they could do in possession. His discomfort at trying to play from behind has led to an unfortunate compromise, especially against opponents of City’s quality: long kicks.
But you can’t just strike and hope. The ball still has to go in the right areas and reveal the right weaknesses, as De Gea’s opponent Stefan Ortega demonstrated when he helped City score with his Route 1 approach in the first minute and Erling Haaland against Casemiro on the right side isolated.
In contrast, when De Gea played long, the ball would either run all the way to Ortega or be swept away by one of the many physically impressive figures in City’s defence, who regularly bested United attackers in their tackles. That hampered United’s attempts to get back into the game until a penalty was awarded.
Things continued after the break as De Gea fired a long ball straight into the ball early in the second half that forced him to apologize to his teammates. He probably should have done better with Gündogan’s second goal after he was also involved in it.
The Spaniard’s immediate future remains uncertain as his contract currently expires at the end of the month, but one thing is certain: his ability with his feet is a limitation with no easy fix.
Mark Critchley
Think about penalties
This week has reminded us how important it is to pause before judging refereeing decisions given the appalling way Roma fans and their coach Jose Mourinho reacted to Anthony Taylor after losing to Sevilla in the Europa League final .
Much of the controversy in Wednesday night’s game involved decisions that were marginal given the nature of the sport and the vagueness of the rules. It was the same today at Wembley: a penalty challenge by both sides and Casemiro’s ugly attack on Manuel Akanji, confusingly resulting in a free-kick for United and not City.
The penalty United awarded for the equalizer was a case in point. It was tough for Jack Grealish who of course had no intention of touching the ball. As former United (and City) goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel said at half-time in the BBC studios: “A right decision but it’s just a stupid rule.” It wasn’t meant to be a penalty. A penalty should be something you do really, really wrong.”
Grealish was unlucky. Fred was a little lucky. Casemiro certainly didn’t have the slightest yellow card for his failure at Akanji. But when the dust settles, the match officials have neither won nor lost this FA Cup final.
It wasn’t even the Europa League final.
As on Wednesday, the better team won.
Oliver Kay
Give Gündogan a second?
In terms of open play, United largely kept City at bay which is why they will rue the two goals they conceded so much, shutting down and allowing Gundogan to show both his anticipation and technique with both feet.
It was reckless enough for Fred to concede a free-kick in a dangerous position to unnecessarily challenge De Bruyne, but United had ten outfield players to defend him: the six largest of them positioned themselves around the five-yard line, Jadon Sancho closest to the ball and Christian Eriksen, Fred and Luke Shaw – in theory at least – defending the edge of the box (below).
But as De Bruyne swung the free-kick over the goal, Fred went with Ruben Dias and Shaw with Rodri, and there was no one within six yards of Gundogan when he hit the ball. The red shirts closest to him were actually Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Raphael Varane, who started at the five-yard line. In contrast to United’s line-up in the open game, everything seemed remarkably disorganized.
Could David de Gea have defended better and saved Gündogan’s shot? United predecessor Peter Schmeichel, part of the BBC TV commentary team, thought so.
Gündogan’s shot wasn’t as clean as the one that scored the first goal, but it was a masterly performance compared to United’s defence.
Oliver Kay
United were bold in the press but it wasn’t enough
A theme for Ten Hag’s United in that first season as manager has been the increasing tendency to press high from possession – with 5.4 possession gains in the attacking third per 90 minutes, more than in any of their previous four years in the Premier League.
Given the quality City possess in their build-up game, United knew they had to be bold when it came to sending men up front to prevent Pep Guardiola’s men from dictating the pace of the game all along .
This method worked for a long time today: Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes blocked the pass routes into midfield, covered John Stones or Rodri and had teammates support them in the second pressing.
Sure, City have been successful at times from behind – as they manage their quality so well – but United have to be commended for their bravery when they’re not in possession.
United recovered the ball seven times in the attacking third, having managed just twice in their last Premier League clash with City at Old Trafford in January. There was a period in the second half when United turned the tide, recapturing the ball high up to maintain their territorial dominance.
In the end it wasn’t enough, but the intention and the courage are to be recognized.
Mark Carey
City on the threshold of history
24 years after English football’s historic first treble, Manchester City are two down with one left. Like neighbors United in 1999, City stagnated in the third division and almost lost in hindsight to their local rivals, unable to stop them from their greatest performance.
The tables have not yet completely turned. United nonetheless came into that 190th Manchester derby and first in an FA Cup final with something City never had in 1999: a chance to change the course of history. They couldn’t take it.
That’s not exactly a surprise. If you spoke to United fans on the way to Wembley this morning, they were either resigned and pessimistic or, at best, clinging to a faint and fragile hope. That hope never felt entirely convincing, but it grew in the hours leading up to kick-off, in the heady Wembley sun that gradually made more and more of them believe. But they believed for a full 12 seconds.
What might perhaps frustrate Erik ten Hag is that, having already gotten off to the worst possible start, they then gambled away their reprieve. Between Bruno Fernandes equalizing from the penalty spot and the half-time break, United were solid, maybe even the better side. The waves of sustained pressure that City uses to overwhelm their opponents were absent. They never really did.
But that wasn’t really necessary. City isn’t necessarily, they’re just better than almost any opponent they face – United included. Gündogan’s opening goal was great, his second was avoidable, but the way the goals were scored hardly mattered. What matters is where they took City: to the edge of history.
Whatever happens next Saturday in Istanbul, they are doubles winners of the 2022-23 season. But this side has long been capable of more than that and now only a totally unwelcome Inter Milan stands in their way.
United failed to seize the opportunity to protect the greatest honor in their history. And now, like City in 1999, all they can do is watch.
Mark Critchley
(Photo: Robin Jones/Getty Images)