Manchester United produced an excellent display at both ends of the pitch to defeat Manchester City in the FA Cup Final at Wembley.
In attack Manchester United were utterly clinical at Wembley. Alejandro Garnacho pressured the City defence into an error, while Kobbie Mainoo dispatched a ruthless one-touch finish low into the net to double the lead.
Then it was up to United to defend the two goal advantage. City did pull one back in the 87th minute, but it was not enough. Erik ten Hag‘s side were deserved winners, according to everybody who watched the game except for Pep Guardiola.
United’s defence was forged on the briefly reunited partnership betweenLisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane, with the Frenchman playing his final game for the club.
Jonny Evans played his part too
Lisandro Martinez has endured a toughinjury-hit season and had only started one match leading up to the FA Cup Final.
He needed to be substituted in the 73rd minute, and Erik ten Hag turned to 36-year-old Jonny Evans to see the game out.
The Northern Irishman has played a prominent role this season due to an injury crisis, after signing as a fifth-choice back-up last summer.
Speaking to the Utd Podcast, former Manchester United defender David May said he was confident there would be no issues when Evans came on, despite losing 2022 World Cup winner Martinez.
May said: “I knew. His experience, his knowledge, his reading of the game, I just knew we was safe.”
May hails Manchester United players gesture
May also highlighted what Manchester United‘s players did during the FA Cup trophy lift, ensuring Erik ten Hag played a prominent role.
A lot has been said about the manager‘s future, and he answered many of his critics by masterminding the club’s win over City.
May commented: “What I thought was brilliant at the end, the players passed the trophy down to the manager.
“In the lead-up to the final, everybody wrote him off, disrespected him and everything. That’s class from the players. 100 per cent he deserved it.”
Manchester United owners Ineos are currently taking their time to assess Erik ten Hag’s future. They are not making a knee-jerk decision, but at the moment, fans are in the dark about what will happen next.
Winning the FA Cup was a major achievement for the club, a trophy the club has found elusive recently, with the previous two wins coming in 2016 and 2004.
It was only right Ten Hag was front and centre of the celebrations. He earned it, especially after coming through a very challenging season in other competitions.