A few minutes before kick-off, a familiar figure wearing a smart suit and an air of intensity undimmed by age, took hold of one handle of the FA Cup and carried it out on to the Wembley pitch alongside Manchester City legend Mike Summerbee.
Sir Alex Ferguson walks with a slight stoop now but after he and Summerbee had placed the trophy carefully on a plinth, he turned to the Manchester United supporters at one end of the stadium, raised both fists in the air and shook them with all the rage and passion of old.
It was a call to arms, a last message from United’s great manager, the architect of the Treble of a quarter of a century ago, to Erik ten Hag’s players, imploring them to seize this opportunity to stop the new blue empire across the city from equalling their feat.
This was the one. If any team was going to derail City’s attempts to write their name in the history books alongside Ferguson’s team, it was going to be United in the first all-Manchester FA Cup Final there has ever been.
No one gives Internazionale much of a chance against Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering team when they meet in the Champions League Final in Istanbul next Saturday but many wondered if maybe, just maybe, United could respond to the weight of history, summon the spirit of their predecessors and ruin City’s dream.
Manchester City won the FA Cup on Saturday afternoon, defeating Manchester United 2-1 to lift the iconic trophy in style
Manchester City’s Captain Fantastic scored twice as his dominant side beat local rivals Manchester United at Wembley
United tried. They tried manfully. But, in the end, it was beyond them. Neither history, nor Ferguson, nor emotion, nor shaken fists, nor the power of local pride, nor the fervent prayers of United fans can stop this City team. They are too good to let any of that get in their way.
They won the Premier League by five points from Arsenal and now they have negotiated the one obstacle that had the potential to spoil it all because it would have allowed United fans to revel in destroying City’s Treble just as they had destroyed Liverpool’s by beating them in the 1977 FA Cup Final.
Now only Internazionale stand between City and a Treble of their own and, dangerous though it is, it is hard to escape the feeling that most of the hard work has been done.
Not that anyone at City will allow themselves to think like that. ‘One more,’ Haaland could be heard shouting to his teammates as they celebrated after the final whistle. ‘One more.’
The German fired Manchester City ahead after just 12 seconds with a superb volley from outside the box to beat David De Gea
Emotional head coach Pep Guardiola embraces the Manchester City captain as his side clinched more domestic silverware
This was not a dominant performance of the kind we have seen them produce recently to sweep away Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid but it was more than good enough. United played with pride. They did not disgrace themselves. But they are not in City’s league. Not yet, anyway.
City won courtesy of two goals from Ilkay Gundogan, their captain, who is out of contract this summer and rumoured to be joining Barcelona. If City still have in their power to try to persuade him to stay, they should redouble their efforts. Even in this team of all the talents, he helps to set its rhythm.
His first strike was the fastest goal in FA Cup Final history. Gundogan scored after 13 seconds and then, after United had drawn level with a bitterly contested penalty from Bruno Fernandes, Gundogan volleyed home the winner six minutes after half time. He was asked afterwards if this had been his last game for City in England. ‘I don’t know,’ he said.
Those who come to football for the corporate entertainment as much as the football were still munching on their canapes in private boxes when City took the lead. The ball was played back to Stefan Ortega from the kick-off and he lingered over it for a couple of seconds before launching it long towards Erling Haaland, their goalscoring phenomenon.
Erling Haaland and his side will now head to Istanbul for next week’s Champions League final in pursuit of a historic treble
It wasn’t to be for Manchester United, who failed to claim a domestic double after winning the Carabao Cup back in February
Haaland leapt for it but the ball sailed over him and De Bruyne and Victor Lindelof contested the bouncing ball. Neither won it conclusively but when it dropped, Gundogan ran on it and, without breaking his stride, unleashed a dipping volley that flew over the motionless De Gea into the net.
The previous record for the fastest goal in an FA Cup Final was held by Louis Saha who scored for Everton after 25 seconds against Chelsea in 2009. Chelsea went on to win that tie but in the opening stages, there seemed very little chance United would recover from the setback.
City swarmed all over them. The way they start matches now is with shock and awe. United could not get anywhere near them. Rodri glanced a header from a De Bruyne free kick into the side-netting after four minutes which was so close some City fans at the opposite end celebrated what they thought was a second goal.
Haaland bullied the United defence, who fouled him to stop him. It was the only option they had. It was not just his strength that was overwhelming them either. His movement was way too good for his opponents and when he shook off Ruben Dias, he stretched for a pass from Gundogan but could only direct his touch straight at De Gea.
De Gea (right) looks dumbfounded as Gundogan’s stunning volley flies past him to put United behind before they could blink
City fans celebrated hysterically when Gundogan fired the Premier League winners ahead with just 12 seconds on the clock
Casemiro was lucky not to be sent off for raking his studs down the shin of Manuel Akanji but gradually, United began to establish a foothold in the game and Raphael Varane should have done better with a reaction volley that fell to him at a corner.
United’s doggedness was rewarded after half an hour when they spread a ball to the right and Aaron Wan-Bissaka tried to head it across goal. The ball was blocked by the raised hand of Grealish. Grealish had his back to the ball and his touch was inadvertent but according to the current rules, it was a penalty.
Play was halted, VAR checked the incident and referee Paul Tierney awarded the spot kick. Fernandes took it. His run-up was slow and halting but Ortega committed himself at the last moment and Fernandes rolled the penalty the other way. United were back in the game.
Six minutes after the interval, though, they cast away that hard-won equality carelessly. When De Bruyne floated a free kick to the edge of the area, United had left Gundogan with time and space to measure a shot.
The midfielder then found the net in the 51st minute with a left-footed strike, as United struggled to defend from City’s corner
Gundogan nearly made it a hat-trick midway through the second half but De Gea got down quickly to deny the German star
Unmarked, he adjusted his body and hit a left-foot volley through a crowd of United defenders. It was not particularly sweetly hit and it bobbled and bounced towards goal. Somehow, De Gea, who is becoming more and more prone to errors, allowed it to squirm past him and inside the post. He was unsighted, yes, but he should have saved it.
Gundogan had the ball in the United net again 20 minutes from time. It would have been the first Cup Final hat trick since Stan Mortensen scored three goals for Blackpool in the 1953 Matthews Final but on this occasion, history was denied by an offside flag.
Second half substitute Alejandro Garnacho gave United brief hope with a shot that curled just wide of Ortega’s left-hand post and, in a spell of late pressure, Ten Hag’s team went close when a deflected shot looped on to the top of the crossbar.
City weathered that squall, though. Now, Internazionale, and immortality, await on the shores of the Bosphorus.
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