Defeating Man City, Man Utd won the FA Cup

Updated date: May 26, 2024 05:30:08

Man Utd caused a big surprise when they defeated Man City in the FA Cup final with a score of 2-1.

Man Utd were not highly rated before entering the 2023/24 FA Cup final against Man City. However, coach Erik ten Hag's team created a big surprise at Wembley Stadium.

For the first time in 20 years, a team used two U20 players in the FA Cup final. They were Alejandro Garnacho (19 years 36 days) and Kobbie Mainoo (19 years 329 days) of Man Utd. It was this duo that created the turning point of the match in the first half.

Man City played very badly, while Man Utd had the best match of the season (Photo: Reuters)

Man Utd had less possession of the ball, mainly attacking with long balls or long-range shots. Man City dominated possession but did not create any dangerous attacks against the opponent's dense defense.

In the deadlock, Man City had to pay a heavy price after Josko Gvardiol's mistake. The Croatian defender did not observe and made a careless pass back, eliminating Man City's goalkeeper, Garnacho easily shot into the empty net.

Just 10 minutes later, it was Mainoo's turn to surprise the crowd. Man Utd launched an excellent attack. Rashford passed the ball to Garnacho down the right wing. The Argentine international passed it back to Bruno Fernandes, before the Man Utd captain made the decisive pass for Mainoo to score.

Man Utd won the FA Cup (Photo: Reuters)

Man City adjusted their personnel in the second half and focused all their efforts on attacking. Meanwhile, Man Utd only had 2 shots on target. The rest of the time they focused on defense. Man Utd maintained organization in about 1/3 of the home field, suffocating Man City's finishing space.

It was not until the end of the match that Man City finally gave hope with a goal to reduce the score. Jeremy Doku – a player who came on in the second half – tried to break through on the left wing and then fired a shot into the near corner. Goalkeeper Onana was caught off guard and could not stop it even though he dove to touch the ball.

However, the remaining time of the match was not enough for Man City to find an equalizer. Man Utd won 2-1 and won the FA Cup, and also got a place in the Europa League.

According to THANH LOC (VTC News)

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