Manchester City’s 12-second FA Cup ambush of Manchester United sets up date with Treble destiny
Pep Guardiola’s men are just one victory away from immortality after seeing off cross-town rivals Manchester United to secure FA Cup glory.
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No one in England can stop them and nor can the weird whims of VAR – only Inter Milan now stand between Pep Guardiola, his team and immortality. Manchester City are one game, one last push, from securing an eternal Treble and they got there by demonstrating that amalgam of elite appetite and skill that only the great sides share.
Sir Alex Ferguson was here and, blinking in the sun, with a certain sickness in his stomach, he may have recognised something of Manchester United’s 1999 Treble winners in the noisy neighbours poised to emulate them. At the end there were sky-blue flags waving, blue smoke bombs and the sight of Guardiola and his players celebrating in front of their supporters as if, rather than being a team on the brink of winning everything, they had never won a single thing in their lives.
That lack of complacency, that ability to savour every scalp like their first, is what drives City just as much as their exquisite playing style and ability. Their hero was that perfect symbol of Guardiola’s creation, Ilkay Gundogan, their craftsman-captain. Move over, Bert Trautmann, City have a new German FA Cup final immortal.
Gundogan struck after 12 seconds with the fastest-ever FA Cup final goal and decided the outcome with a volley from the edge of the penalty area early in the second half. Both were the result of clever set-piece routines, the first involving a route-one ambush of United from kick-off, the second a more delicate free-kick ruse.
Erik ten Hag was exasperated to concede two “soft” goals in that way and suggested his United side are the “only team in the world” capable of pushing City to the limit after sustaining such blows. The doggedness he has bred in his players is, indeed, impressive, but his thesis ignored the fact United were helped by some highly contentious officiating.
Their equaliser came after VAR persuaded Paul Tierney, the referee, to award a penalty for an inadvertent Jack Grealish handball, and City were rightly aggrieved when Casemiro went unpunished for sinking his studs into Manuel Akanji just above the ankle: not even a booking, when it could easily have been a red card. Tierney’s failure to give a penalty for a clumsy Fred tackle on Kevin De Bruyne was City’s other gripe. There was almost a remarkable twist when, in stoppage time, United hoisted a ball into City’s area and Stefan Ortega deflected Raphael Varane’s shot against the crossbar, with Scott McTominay’s follow-up almost going in too, but City’s victory was deserved and so was Gundogan’s man-of-the match award. What a technician. His opener was a gorgeous right-footed volley and his winner a clever left-footed one.
De Bruyne floated a free kick to him and Gundogan took three little backward steps to get his body position right before looping a ball through a gap in the crowded box to beat David de Gea, who could have done better.
De Bruyne looked back to form, driving with the ball and opening up United with crosses and passes. John Stones excelled again in the hybrid centre-half-plus-midfielder role and, although he failed to score, Erling Haaland did important work and regularly threatened. Guardiola was pleased with how his players kept their focus.
Ten Hag declared himself – rightly – encouraged by United’s season but admitted there is a gap to bridge. Watching Christian Eriksen struggle for puff you could see why United want the energy of Mason Mount, while Alejandro Garnacho should have started here.
Before kick-off, Mike Summerbee and Ferguson brought the trophy on to the pitch, each holding one silver ear. Summerbee also held Ferguson’s arm to keep him steady, a moving sight. United’s set-up, a 4-2-3-1 with Bruno Fernandes, Eriksen and Jadon Sancho behind Marcus Rashford, was partly designed to give them the shape and personnel to press high.
However, Guardiola has become shrewd at blending the odd “English” tactic with his own and City simply bypassed the United press with a blast of direct football straight away. It was like a seeing a boxer, renowned for stylistics, charge out straight from the bell and land a haymaker.
From the kick-off, Gundogan sent a pass all the way back to Ortega, who boomed a gigantic hoof up to Haaland, in a wide position, and the striker nodded infield, where Victor Lindelof challenged De Bruyne. Lindelof’s header looped off De Bruyne’s shoulder to Gundogan, who was arriving on the edge of United’s area, untracked. Gundogan put his right foot through the ball, cutting inside it, to arc a volley away from De Gea into the top corner of the net.
Only 12 seconds has elapsed and the next 20 minutes were all City. Rodri headed De Bruyne’s free kick just wide and Grealish went close with a shot. Haaland stretched to reach a fine Grealish pass but his touch lacked power.
Apart from Rashford heading Casemiro’s cross wide, United struggled to threaten. When City conceded the first goal of their whole FA Cup campaign it was in iffy circumstances.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Grealish challenged for a high ball just inside City’s area. Wan-Bissaka won the header but City cleared and play was on the halfway line, with nobody thinking anything significant had occurred, when Tierney suddenly blew his whistle and drew the dreaded air-square to signify a VAR check.
At his pitchside monitor, Tierney viewed video that showed the ball flicking the fingers on Grealish’s left hand as he was coming down to land, with his body turned away from the ball but his arm above his head. It seemed an entirely normal, accidental body position, but the harshest possible interpretation was applied, with Grealish deemed to have made his body “unnaturally bigger”, leading to a penalty.
Fernandes composed himself, took a jiggling run-up and converted before celebrating before City’s supporters, cupping his ears. As teammates joined him, Lindelof was struck by a “missile” that appeared to be a lipstick stick. United hadn’t deserved to be level. Their plans to create openings were tenuous, based on the hope Rashford, Sancho and Fernandes could knit something together, but they were usually crowded out by City’s excellent, unbending defence.
Varane did miscue a decent chance at a set piece just before half time, but after the interval City pushed with renewed intensity and could have scored had someone been there to convert De Bruyne’s superb cutback.
Gundogan then scored his second marvellous goal and City went close to a third several times. De Gea made good saves from Haaland and De Bruyne – but when it was put to Ten Hag than the ‘keeper was culpable for Gundogan’s goals, the manager refused to be drawn.
United were much improved by Garnacho’s introduction. All teenage swagger and intent, he went close when he jinked inside and bent a shot just wide. But City held on for their second trophy of the season and a date with Inter – and destiny – in the Champions League final.
Originally published as Manchester City’s 12-second FA Cup ambush of Manchester United sets up date with Treble destiny
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