By Aiwu Esele
Erik Ten Hag with the FA Cup
Manchester United on Saturday at Wembley compensated for their lackluster performance in he EPL season by defeating local rivals and defending Champion, Manchester City in a sensational FA Cup final 2-1, thanks to glory, first-half goals by Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo.
United avoided conceding an early goal like last year’s final, with Garnacho’s effort denied before he capitalised on a mix-up between Josko Gvardiol and Stefan Ortega to lob in the opener.
The young Red Devils continued to impress, playing slick football capped by Mainoo’s cool far-post finish following excellent play from Marcus Rashford, Garnacho and Bruno Fernandes.
Trailing 2-0 at the break, Pep Guardiola introduced Jeremy Doku who struck the bar through Erling Haaland before pulling one back himself late on.
However, Andre Onana stood tall in United’s goal, denying Kyle Walker and Julian Alvarez in a tense finale as Ten Hag’s men held on for a memorable triumph.
The result ends United’s drought in the competition stretching back to 2015/2016 and gave them a chance in the Europa League next season, while Chelsea, with this win, will play in Europa Conference League while Newcastle drops out of contention.
For City, the chance to become England’s first team to win consecutive league and cup doubles slipped away despite a late onslaught.
The win secured United’s 13th FA Cup trophy and could prove to be Erik ten Hag’s saving match amid speculation over his future with the Reds.
