Manchester City beat Manchester United in the FA Cup final, remain on track for a historic treble

A brace of goals from Ilkay Gundogan helped Manchester City defeat city rivals Manchester United 2-1 in the FA Cup final.

Ilkay Gundogan proved to be the hero for Manchester City once again. A brace of goals from the German midfielder - with the first one flying into the net inside the opening 13 seconds for the fastest goal in FA Cup final history - helped Manchester City defeat city rivals Manchester United 2-1 in the FA Cup final at the Wembley Stadium in London.

Gundogan was the protagonist in the Manchester Derby final. It was he who took the first touch of the match with the opening kick-off and with his second touch, he unleashed a supreme half-volley from just outside the area that flew into the top right corner, leaving Manchester United stunned cold.

It was a goal that can be rightfully considered a masterpiece and City roared on early into the game.

However, instead of caving under the pressure, like so many sides have done in the past after Man City’s early intent, United held their ground and even staged a fightback. Although the Red Devils had failed to enter the final third convincingly at that point in the game, they were awarded a lifeline when a penalty was awarded for a handball inside the box.

It was completely against the run of play because not many people noticed something strange happening in real time as Aaron Wan Bissaka headed down Bruno Fernandes’ diagonal back inside. However, the referee was asked to consult the pitchside monitor after VAR interpretation and he saw that Wan-Bissaka’s header had gone into Grealish’s hand at point-blank range as the City winger jumped to contest the ball.

The decision was definitely harsh for Pep Guardiola’s side but Fernandes could care less. He tucked it in decisively and pulled United back into the game. For the remainder of the first half, it looked to be a proper contest between the two sides with City seemingly getting rattled by the manner in which they conceded the goal.

However, parity wouldn’t last long as the City players came out of the half-time tunnel rejuvenated and ready to fight their way back into the game. They pushed United back and reasserted their control over proceedings and the Champions League finalists got rewarded for their efforts.

Kevin De Bruyne spotted Gundogan at the edge of the United box following a set-piece routine. While his first goal was with his right foot, this time, the 32-year-old waited and let the ball run across him before making the connection with his left.

While the connection wasn’t as sweet as the last time, the ball bounced once, rearing up over Raphaël Varane’s leg, and then again before it reached the corner of the net via David de Gea’s outstretched hand. The United goalkeeper saw it late and was slow to get across.

Gundogan has done it again! With their hands on the FA Cup trophy, Pep Guardiola’s army are one step closer to completing their dream of winning a treble - the Premier League, the FA Cup, and the UEFA Champions League.

Only Manchester United’s class of 1999 had managed this feat previously in England and the manager on that occasion, Sir Alex Ferguson, was in attendance at the Wembley Stadium to see his side falter once again.