Manchester City are two-thirds of the way to achieving only the second Treble in English football history, after defeating rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup final at Wembley.
They could not have wished for a better start than when Ilkay Gundogan fired home the opener after just 13 seconds with a bullet volley for the fastest-ever FA Cup final goal. United were handed an equaliser from the penalty spot, which Bruno Fernandes tucked home, after VAR penalised Jack Grealish for handball.
United never went away in what was a fairly evenly contested final, but City were deserved winners and sealed the trophy when Gundogan repeated the trick in the second half with another volley past David de Gea from Kevin De Bruyne’s wide free-kick after 51 minutes.
Attention for City quickly turn to the Champions League final next Saturday, when they could seal the Treble by beating Inter Milan in the final to win Europe’s most prestigious trophy.
Dom Smith was at Wembley to rate the City players…
Stefan Ortega — 6
Had little to do, on an afternoon when his defenders in front of him did the brunt of the work — as well as United’s misfiring attackers.
Kyle Walker — 7
Very good in the air and very progressive with his choices of pass, which cannot always be said of the defender.
Ruben Dias — 6
One of a quartet of players back in the City team after staying in Manchester for the defeat to Brentford last weekend.
Rodri — 7
Headed just wide after three minutes with a chance to make it 2-0. Used the ball well, as he always seems to.
John Stones — 8
Another really mature and well-rounded performance in midfield. Aerially dominant and shrewd in playing the ball to teammates ahead of him. The double-pivot position suits his skillset perfectly.
Bernardo Silva — 6
A few darting runs here and there, but this was largely a day when his teammates took the plaudits.
Kevin De Bruyne — 7
Whistled one first-half effort wide of the target, but his influence heightened as United legs tired and space opened up. Assisted Gundogan’s second with a smart free-kick played away from the melee.
Ilkay Gundogan — 9
The fastest goal in FA Cup final history set the German on his way to an outstanding performance. One superb volley in the first half, another in the second, and an overall scintillating individual display.
Jack Grealish — 7
Busy on the left as he tried to cause United’s defenders problems. Conceded a harsh penalty in the first half but didn’t let that effect his performance.
Erling Haaland — 7
Had a few half-chances on the afternoon which he was unable to take. Held the ball up well and showed a different side to his game while Gundogan did the goalscoring.
Subs
Phil Foden (De Bruyne, 76’) — N/A
Nathan Ake (Grealish, 89’) — N/A
Aymeric Laporte (Walker, 90+5’) — N/A
