Manchester City 2-1 Manchester United: FA Cup final 2023 – live
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Pep Guardiola, who was in tears shortly after the final whistle, is now smiling broadly as he leads the City players up to collect the FA Cup. His first, trophyless season at City seems a long time ago, and not only because it is a long time ago.
As the United players go up to collect their medals, let’s hear from John Stones
That is very hard to do! Incredible feeling, emotion, especially against our neighbours. I’ve been in a few big games where we’ve scored early doors and it’s not ended how wanted it to, on this pitch as well. Our mindset and courage were incredible, I’m so proud of everyone. It was never gonna be an easy game against such an incredible team.
[It might be Ilkay Gundogan’s last game in England] I hope not. What a player – he always turns up on big occasions. He gets incredible goals and he controls the play as well.
[On the treble] We had to focus solely on today’s game and we did that. Now we can dream, and hopefully do it.
Ilkay Gundogan speaks
Amazing. To play a final is always difficult; it’s 50/50 or close to it. We did well in the first half, but we could have done better. The way we played in the second half was amazing, Rodri and John [Ben Stokes] especially.
[Have you ever scored a faster goal in your career?] I don’t think so, no. The ball landed perfectly for me, and I hit it quite well. It was an amazing feeling. I haven’t seen the penalty again so I don’t know, I trust the referee, but we reacted well. We could have scored more and I think we deserved it.
[Is this your last game in England?] I don’t know. I try not to think about [the treble]. It’s another final, and obviously we play finals to win them, especially that one. It would be even more special. It’s our second [Champions League] final in three years, a great achievement, and I think now we had to do it.
“What drug was Ten Hag on,” says Pax Pineda, “when he decided to bench Garnacho?”
The good stuff. He timed the substitution perfectly. Had Garnacho started, in my opinion, he wouldn’t have had anything like as big an impact.
There are wild celebrations among the City players. Erling Haaland and Pep Guardiola are jumping around like the happiest eejits in the world. It’s rare to see them quite so emotionally naked. This means so much in isolation, never mind as part of a potential treble.
Full time: Man City 2-1 Man UtdPeep peep! Manchester City are one game away from immortality after a hard-fought victory in Manchester’s first FA Cup final. Ilkay Gundogan volleyed both goals - one off the sweet spot of his right foot after 13 seconds, one off his left shin – and overall City deserved the win.
Kevin De Bruyne was outstanding, particularly while the game was level at 1-1. United gave City a game, though, with Raphael Varane hitting the bar in added time. At this stage of their development, I’m not sure United could have done much more, and Alejandro Garnacho’s fearless cameo is a symbol of their hope for the future.
But it’s City’s day, City’s season, City’s decade. They are the best team in Manchester, and the best team in the world.
Manchester City’s Guardiola, De Bruyne Grealish celebrate after winning the FA Cup as Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag looks on. Photograph: Carl Recine/Reuters90+5 min: City substitution Aymeric Laporte replaces Kyle Walker.
90+3 min Fernandes’s corner is headed away by Walker. United keep the ball alive but this time Garnacho overhits his cross.
90+2 min: Varane hits the bar! Oh my word. Shaw’s cross bounced off McTominay towards Varne on the six-yard line. His shot was smothered by Ortega and looped onto the top of the bar. It rebounded to McTominay, whose header was deflected onto the roof of the net!
90+1 min Garnacho screws a cross that is cleared by the stretching Akanji. In context – an 18-year-old playing against the best team in the world - Garnacho has been quite outstanding, United’s best and most fearless attacking player.
90 min There will be four minutes of added time.
90 min Rodri is booked for a tactical handball on the halfway line.
89 min: City substitution Nathan Ake replaces Jack Grealish.
89 min Shaw does really well to beat Foden to Gundogan’s near-post cutback.
88 min This would be City’s second league and FA Cup double (they did the domestic treble in 2019). Is that right or have I missed one? Their FA Cup record under Guardiola has been relatively weak. Relatively is the operative word here.
87 min After good set-up play from Rashford and then Weghorst, McTominay’s first-time shot from 25 yards is well blocked by Rodri.
87 min Rashford is limping, and United have used all their substitution windows (I think).
85 min Garnacho beats Bernardo Silva brilliantly near the byline on the left and cuts into the area. Rodri comes across to knock the ball off Garnacho and behind for a goalkick. Outstanding defending.
83 min: Just wide from Haaland! That would have been the weirdest of his 472 goals this season. He cut inside Casemiro thrillingly on the edge of the area, only for Varane to come across and intercept. Varane’s attempted clearance hit Haaland, 15 yards out, and ricocheted just wide of the left post.
83 min: Man Utd substitution Scott McTominay replaces Victor Lindelof, which probbaly means a switch to a back three (although McTominay can play centre half).
82 min Ortega is booked for timewasting at a goalkick.
80 min The City fans appeal for handball when Foden’s cross hits Wan-Bissaka. Play continues and Bernardo Silva bobbles a cross shot that just evades the stretching Akanji at the far post.
79 min Fred is booked for a brazen tactical foul on Grealish. Wasn’t he booked earlier for the hack at De Bruyne before the second goal? Apparently not. I just assumed he had been as it was a clear yellow-card offence.
Then again, had he been on a yellow card he wouldn’t have made that tackle.
78 min: Man Utd substitution Wout Weghorst replaces Jadon Sancho.
Weghorst comes on as a substitute to replace Sancho. Photograph: Carl Recine/Reuters77 min Foden is playing as the right-sided No8. I thought he might swap with Bernardo Silva.
76 min: City substitution Phil Foden replaces… Kevin De Bruyne. That must be a fitness precaution, because he’s been the best player on the pitch.
75 min Never mind the second half; this is United’s most dominant spell of the whole game. Garnacho runs onto a return ball from Casemiro in the area, cuts inside and hits a shot that is really well blocked by the stretching Walker. Garnacho has made a difference.
74 min The corner is only half cleared. Fred dumps it back towards the far post, where the backpedalling Dias (I think) does brilliantly to beat Casemiro to the header.
74 min Fernandes’s shot is deflected behind by Gundogan. This, by a distance, is United’s best spell of the second half.
72 min: Just wide from Garnacho! That was a lovely effort. He received a return pass from Fernandes 20 yards from goal, opened his body and shaped a curling shot that beat Ortega and went this far wide of the far post.
71 min: Gundogan has a goal disallowed for offside! Grealish did much better, finding Haaland with a lovely low pass from the left. His shot was saved by de Gea and put into the net by Gundogan, but he was a couple of yards beyond the last defender.
69 min: Just over from Rashford! That was better from United. Lindelof took matters into his own hands with an intrepid run through midfield. He gave the ball to Fernandes, who found Rashford in a bit of space on the edge of the D. Rashford had just enough time to take a touch and lash a rising drive that went a few yards over the bar. In the context of the game and Rashford’s form this season, that was a decent opportunity.
67 min Rashford picks Rodri’s pocket and finds Garnacho, but he is expertly dispossessed by Stones. United can’t lay a glove on City.
66 min Grealish is lucky not to booked for a cynical foul on Fred. I love Grealish but all he has done since the penalty is try to pick a fight.
65 min United have had a bit more of the ball in the last few minutes, though they are still struggling to get into the final third, never mind create anything. City have been really good – too good – since half-time.
65 min “‘Sancho has done okay’,” sniffs Adam Roberts. “Really?”
I think I see him through different eyes to most people, possibly because I liked him so much at Dortmund. In the circumstances I think he’s done, well, okay.
64 min Stones is found in a lot of space 30 yards from goal. He pushes the ball forward and then belts a drive over the bar.
62 min: Man Utd substitution Alejandro Garnacho replaces Christian Eriksen, who had a fairly quiet game. He’s gone straight to the left wing, with Sancho now officially on the right.
Erik ten Hag gives instructions while Alejandro Garnacho cools down. Photograph: Sean Ryan/Shutterstock62 min: Important save by de Gea! De Bruyne gets the wrong side of Fred to receive a pass 25 yards from goal. Then he veers away from Varane, to the left, and cracks a low drive that is kicked away by de Gea. De Bruyne has been majestic.
60 min The first half was fairly even, all told, but since the break City have smothered United. It looks like Garnacho is about to come on.
59 min United probably need to bring on Alejandro Garnacho soon. Sancho has done okay but they are being overrun now, and they Garnacho’s fearless dynamism before the game gets away from them.
58 min For a No8, Ilkay Gundogan has some goalscoring portfolio. Two to win the title last year, two today, goodness knows how many to rouse City from their slumber in 2020-21. He even scored a penalty in the Champions League final for Dortmund all those years ago.
57 min De Bruyne walks away from Eriksen and whacks a cross that is put behind by Lindelof. I said City were taking control of the game, but I was wrong: De Bruyne has taken control of it.
De Bruyne runs with the ball whilst under pressure from Fred and Eriksen. Photograph: Lexy Ilsley/Manchester City/Manchester City FC/Getty Images55 min Stones is caught by Fred, who has been booked. It’s an orange-card offence at most, but City are starting to take control of this game.
54 min “I note the comments made by my learned friend, G Naylor esq. regarding keepers diving or not,” says Neil Mackie. “While I disagree I can understand the position. I shall endeavour to review my thoughts. Oh, and the tyre is a write off, unless I cut out a chunk of tread from one tyre to replace on this one - and as I don’t have a ruined spare that’s a pointless hypothetical. So that’s £50 down the swanny/supporting a local bike shop.”
De Bruyne took the free-kick on the right touchline, following that foul by Fred. He lofted it to the edge of the D, where the unmarked Gundogan backpedalled smartly to hit a left-foot volley towards goal. He didn’t catch it properly at all – it bounced at least twice – but it went through the crowd and spun away from the diving de Gea. He got a hand on it but could only help it into the net. It wasn’t in the corner, and my instinct is that de Gea should have saved that one. Maybe he saw it late.
GOAL! Man City 2-1 Man Utd (Gundogan 51)Ilkay Gundogan scores another volley – this time with his left foot!
Gundogan volleys another goal. Photograph: Jon Super/AP
