The stage was set for an enthralling Manchester Derby at Wembley Stadium on 3 May 2023. Manchester City came after winning their ninth Premier League title. They were looking to add one more trophy by winning this clash to keep the dream of a treble-winning season alive with the Champions League final against Inter Milan still to come.
In contrast, Manchester United finished the Premier League in the third spot and confirmed their berth in the Champions League next year. They already bagged a trophy earlier this season by winning the Carabao Cup at Wembley by defeating Newcastle United. So, Erik Ten Hag and his boys were looking to bag another trophy before finishing the season by defeating their noisy neighbours.
Manchester City bagged their seventh FA Cup title
This tournament has been very good for United over the years as they have already bagged this trophy 12 times. While City have won six times only. Speaking of the match, the Premier League champions had an outstanding start as Ilkay Gundogan smashed an insane volley from 20 yards out just 13 seconds into the game. Thus, it became the fastest goal scored in the final of this competition. Kevin De Bruyne came up with the assist and United fans were absolutely shocked by such an abysmal start. Then, City were all over the game with many close chances.
But, in the 30th minute, Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s header flicked off Jack Grealish’s hand in the box.
United players asked for a handball. But, referee Paul Tierney denied it as the game progressed. But, after some time, he was asked to check in the monitor closely during the VAR review. After that, he pointed to the spot and United were awarded a penalty. Pep Guardiola, Grealish, and other City players were not happy with the decision. But, Bruno Fernandes kept his cool and slaughtered the ball into the bottom-left corner, sending Ortega wrong side. Thus, the first half ended at 1-1.
Man City managed another quick start to the second half as Ilkay Gundogan doubled his tally with another volley in the 51st minute. Thus, the City skipper completed his brace while it was the second assist for De Bruyne also. Then, in the 72nd minute, Gundogan scored his third but the flag went up straightway as the goal got denied due to him standing in an offside position. After that, City held their nerves and hold the lead until the last whistle as Manchester City defeated Manchester United by 2-1. Thus, City bagged their seventh FA Cup and second trophy of this season. Now, they will look to fulfil their dream of the treble by winning the upcoming Champions League Final against Inter Milan in Istanbul on 11 June 2023.
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