Manchester United Upset Manchester City, Win FA Cup
It took an entire season, but Manchester United may have finally turned in their finest performance of the season. After finishing the Premier League season with their worst placement in the club’s history, the Red Devils will be bringing home a piece of silverware this season after defeating cross-town rivals Manchester City 2-1 to win the FA Cup. In what some reports suggest was manager Erik Ten Hag’s last game, United showed grit and team spirit to pull one out against the now four-time defending Premier League champions.
While Ten Hag may not be a part of United’s future, it was their future that won them this game. Goals from a pair of nineteen-year-olds got the job done for the Red Devils, Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo in particular. Garnacho struck in the thirtieth minute when City defender Josko Gvardiol and goalkeeper Stefan Ortega miscommunicated on a back pass, leading Gvardiol to head the ball over Ortega toward his own goal. A grateful Garnacho pounced on the chance and tapped the ball into the City net. It was a goal so unlike Manchester City, it should have been a sign of things to come for the game's result.
Mainoo’s goal was not so lucky on Manchester United’s part, however. It was the result of a brilliant, sweeping, back-to-front passing move from United. It was sparked when Marcus Rashford played a beautiful, field-switching ball to Garnacho, who took it down calmly. An underlapping run from Aaron Wan-Bissaka opened up space on the edge of the penalty area for Bruno Fernandes, and Garnacho found him immediately. Then Fernandes made the play of the game, sliding a reverse pass into the path of young Mainoo, who calmly slid the ball into the far corner from six yards out. City clearly expected Fernandes to shoot once he received the ball, making the first-time pass to Mainoo a devastating one.
On a side not on Fernandes, the day before the final he had written in the Players’ Tribune. Admittedly, when I clicked on the article I was half expecting it to be a goodbye to the Manchester faithful after such a disappointing season. It turned out to be a retrospective of his time in Manchester and a love letter to the supporters who had turned up all throughout such a brutal season for United. It ended on a “we go again” kind of note meant to spur on the United support. It appeared to work brilliantly, as United fans were in voice, increasing in decibels as the lead grew. The piece by Fernandes turned out to be a spark that lit a flame in this game, and it showed why he has been so beloved since arriving at the club in 2020.
As is protocol when facing Manchester City for the past seven years under Pep Guardiola, United was forced to sit deep and absorb pressure for most of the game, looking to strike on the counterattack. City clearly did not have their typical attacking sharpness we are so used to seeing. Erling Haaland hit the crossbar in the second half. Julian Alvarez saw a through-on-goal chance go begging as he slid the ball past the far post. By the time Jeremy Doku scored his goal after coming on as a substitute, it was too little too late. United had won the FA Cup.
Even in some wins this season, Manchester has not felt good about the performances they have displayed to the world. Their FA cup run alone is a great example of Ten Hag’s rollercoaster ride of a managerial sting. United’s signature moment of the season before today was their shootout win over Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-finals. Then in the semi-finals, United won in the most shameful fashion possible. Blowing a lead and going to penalties against second-tier side Coventry City. Yet, despite an embarrassing win, they came through against City. An odd sequence of events.
Even though there is nothing but uncertainty about what lies ahead, as well as major disappointment in the nose dive the Erik Ten Hag era has taken, it was special to see the red side of Manchester get just one day to celebrate in the 2023/24 season. Players like Diogo Dalot, Scott Mctominay, Lisandro Martinez, and Fernandes who give everything for the badge deserve moments like this. Hopefully, there will be more to come as the new era begins. Despite City’s dominance and United’s fall from grace in the past decade, one fixture that remains slightly unpredictable is the Manchester Derby.
As for Manchester City, they looked flat. They played as if their nine-to-one favorite status had gone to their heads a little bit. Despite keeping over 70% possession, there is not much of an argument that they outplayed their rivals on this day. City will still end the season as a success, being Premier League Champions again, but they will know they left money on the table against a desperate and inferior side. Today, Manchester is red, and so are the tassels of the FA Cup.
