More reaction and analysis
That’s it for today’s blog. Thanks for your company and emails, and congratulations to the City fans among you – goodnight!
Here’s what the managers had to say
First Pep Guardiola
It was (is) the first time to talk about the treble. Against United it was special for our city and our fans. We performed really well. Now tomorrow they are off, they have two days off, the players have recovery for themselves and then we have three or four training sessions to prepare for Inter Milan.
And then Erik ten Hag
We are broken, it’s disappointing. I am proud of my team, we did very well. We conceded two soft goals but there was a great spirit. In the end we could have made the equaliser. The goals were both avoidable, in terms of the whole team. The team showed resilience and character but this will make us better. It was a test, we didn’t succeed but we can take a lot of positives for next season.
Jack Grealish’s verdict
"I think the sky's the limit. I've never played in a team like this, we have everything" 🔥
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 3, 2023
Jack Grealish reflects on another memorable win in Man City colours with @laura_woodsy and Karen Carney...#ITVFootball | #EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/p69tQXHVfE
David Hytner’s match report from Wembley
The City players all collect their medals, and then Ilkay Gundogan – captain, leader, reluctant legend – collects the FA Cup. He gives a kiss, teases the crowd – oooooooooooh – and lifts it high in the air!
Manchester City’s stunning dominance of English football continues, and if it wasn’t for the much-maligned Nathan Jones they’d be going for the quadruple next weekend. That’s going to be a helluva question in future years.
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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.
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Full time: Man City 2-1 Man Utd
Peep 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.
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90+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 the unsighted McTominay and back towards Varane on the six-yard line. His shot was smothered by the outrushing Ortega before spinning wickedly onto the top of the bar. It looped back towards McTominay, whose header was deflected onto the roof of the net!
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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.
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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.
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78 min: Man Utd substitution Wout Weghorst replaces Jadon Sancho.
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77 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.
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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.
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62 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.
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55 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.
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GOAL! Man City 2-1 Man Utd (Gundogan 51)
Ilkay Gundogan scores another volley – this time with his left foot!
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50 min Fred is rightly booked for a hack at De Bruyne, who has looked really sharp at the start of the second half.
49 min Silva plays a good pass down the right to De Bruyne, who drags a low, first-time cross that beats everyone in the middle. I think Haaland ran beyond the ball.
46 min Sancho – who is nominally the left-winger but has played like a No10 folr much of the game – slalmoms dangerously into the area from the right. He beats two players before Rodri comes across to make an excellent interception.
46 min Peep peep! United get the second half under way, with no changes on either side.
Enough of the penalty chat, the players are back on the field.
“It’s clearer in slow motion,” says Andy Flintoff. “Grealish jumps with his arms down, the ball misses him and Wan-Bissanka heads it, so Grealish turns and brings his left hand up. It’s not part of the natural movement of his arms (which is up to about shoulder height, as evidenced by his right arm), so it’s handball.”
The handball law
This is the relevant part, which has made me even more confused.
It is an offence if a player … touches the ball with their hand/arm when it has made their body unnaturally bigger. A player is considered to have made their body unnaturally bigger when the position of their hand/arm is not a consequence of, or justifiable by, the player’s body movement for that specific situation. By having their hand/arm in such a position, the player takes a risk of their hand/arm being hit by the ball and being penalised
Roy Keane’s take on the penalty
I think it’s a penalty all day long. And if anyone’s in any doubt about Lee Dixon [who disagreed on commentary], jusat to let you know he’s City fan! [What about proximity?] I don’t care!
Half-time business
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This is an interesting perspective on the handball from James Humphries
To disagree with both you and Jermaine Jenas (who’s still upset about that call), I reckon that is a legit penalty, not just in a ‘the law is an ass’ kind of way. It looks to me like Grealish does instinctively flick his hand towards the ball - it’s really really difficult not to, from experience, although admittedly I’m not paid millions to play football - before he catches himself. It’s a soft penalty, and he gets unlucky in the sense that most of the time that flick won’t make contact, but I don’t think it’s a silly decision.
Half time: Man City 1-1 Man Utd
De Bruyne’s overhit free-kick is claimed comfortably by de Gea, and that’s the end of an intriguing, if largely scruffy, first half.
Ilkay Gundogan volleyed City into the lead after 13 seconds, but United stayed in the game and equalised through Bruno Fernandes’s calm penalty in the 33rd minute. Jack Grealish was penalised for handball, a pedantic but ultimately correct decision, and has been in a foul mood ever since. Except a furious start to the second half from City.
Handball by Jack Grealish!!
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) June 3, 2023
What do you think of that call?#FACupFinal pic.twitter.com/E3TzedOjKI
45+3 min Wan-Bissaka is booked for a sliding foul on Grealish. He actually missed the ball and the man but then caught Grealish in his follow through.
45+3 min Rashford is fouled by Grealish, who reacts with displeasure. City look… if not rattled, then at least inconvenienced.
45+3 min Walker shoves Fred off the ball, then kicks it straight at him. It ricochets to Rashford in the City area, but he’s quickly crowded out.
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45+2 min A subtle foul from Rodri on Sancho stops a dangerous United counter-attack. Whether you like it or not, that’s such an important part of modern football.
45+1 min “I’d just like to point out that Ilkay Gundogan’s goal was not the fastest conceded by United at Wembley,” says Peter Lawton. “In January 2018, when Wembley was Tottenham’s temporary home, a certain Christian Eriksen scored for the hosts after only 11 seconds.”
I’m sure we can all imagine Jose Mourinho’s internal monologue when that went in.
45 min There will be four minutes of added time.
44 min “Wish McCoist would stop saying Firmino,” writes Stephen Bradfield, “it’s very confusing.”
Ha, very good. It took me a while to get that.
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43 min Bernardo Silva is lucky not to be booked for a gratuitous kick at Luke Shaw.
42 min: Chance for Varane! The corner is flicked on at the near post and volleyed wide on the stretch by Varane, around eight yards from goal. It was his wrong foot, the left, and he sliced it a few yards wide. Even so, that was a pretty decent chance.
42 min Rashford wins a corner off Dias after decent play from Fernandes and Sancho in the inside-right channel. Those two are roaming all over the place – there’s very little width in United’s formation.
41 min “It’s really weird to see the shadow of the floating camera whenever they go to a wide shot,” says Joe Pearson. “It’s like there’s an extra invisible man out there casting a shadow.”
40 min That was a risky challenge from Fred, but I don’t think it was a foul. You certainly couldn’t call it a clear and obvious error.
39 min Grealish plays in the underlapping Stones in the area. He cuts the ball back towards the onrushing De Bruyne, who goes over under a challenge from Fred. City appeal frantically for a penalty without success. I think Fred got in front of De Bruyne fairly, though we haven’t seen a replay yet.
39 min “I can’t concur with Mr Mackie (22 mins),” writes my Nessun Dorma compadre Gary Naylor. “The best keepers (like the best batters in cricket or the best serve-returners in tennis) pick up clues from the body shape, demeanour and movement of their opponent and anticipate the ball’s direction. They won’t always make the save (I don’t think any keeper is clawing out that shot), but they should have their feet in the right place and be balanced enough to get off the ground. That said, you can look a little foolish on Twitter frozen in midair while the ball is nestled in the top corner - worth it though.”
38 min De Bruyne takes a short corner on the right, gets it back and spins a dangerous cross with the outside of the right foot. Casemiro heads clear.
37 min City are playing with much greater urgency since the equaliser – mainly because of the change in the scoreline but also because of their sense of injustice at the penalty decision.
35 min In fact it was Lindelof, not Fernandes, who was hit in the eye by something thrown from the crowd. We’ll hear more about that I’m sure.
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35 min City snap the ball around with angry purpose until De Bruyne lofts a chip over the bar from the edge of the area.
34 min Now Fernandes is saying that something has been thrown from the crowd at him. This is going to kick off, isn’t it.
That was so cool. He walked round the ball, waited for Ortega to sit down and passed the ball to the other side.
GOAL! Man City 1-1 Man Utd (Fernandes 33 pen)
A superb penalty from Bruno Fernandes!
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32 min Bruno Fernandes will take the penalty…
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31 min Grealish is fuming, and the City players are still moaning at the referee. You can understand their frustration – the law is an ass – but it’s the right decision under the current interpretation. I think.
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PENALTY TO UNITED!
31 min Fernandes drove a crossfield pass to Wan-Bissaka, whose header hit the outstretched arm of Grealish. He was only a couple of yards away, but in the modern game it’s a clever (if absurd) penalty.
VAR CHECK FOR A MAN UTD PENALTY!
Paul Tierney has been told to go to the pitchside monitor. I think this will be given. It’s another of those ridiculous modern handballs.
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29 min United appeal unsuccessfully for a penalty when Wan-Bissaka’s header hits Grealish at close range. It’s being checked by VAR.
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28 min Dias walks forward from centre back, finds Bernardo Silva and keeps running. Silva pushes the ball infield to De Bruyne, who moves away from Fred and rifles a left-footed drive from 25 yards that goes just wide. De Gea had it covered.
26 min Play resumes, with de Gea okay to continue for now.
25 min David de Gea is receiving treatment to his right leg, which allows the other players to have a drink. That drumand bass track you can hear is Jack Butland’s heartbreat.
24 min Casemiro’s cross from the inside-eight channel; is headed well wide by Rashford, 15 yards out. I think he was helping it across rather than towards goal, but there was nobody there.
Moments before that Rashford made an excellent run in the inside-right channel, but Eriksen of all people didn’t spot him. That was half a chance.
24 min United haven’t yet been able to release Rashford, whose Vardyish movement is their best chance of troubling City. They’re playing well in the middle third though, and I don’t mean that in a snarky way.
23 min De Bruyne charges dangerously to the edge of the United area, but he can’t find the right moment to release Haaland and is dispossessed by Eriksen.
22 min “While I’m a strictly amateur keeper with nowhere near the ability of de Gea, he immediately realised, like we often do, that he had no chance of getting a hand on that Gundogan volley,” says Neil Mackie. “So he didn’t dive. I may not have ever rated him highly, but not diving was the right thing to do.
“As an aside, too many keepers try and fly after shots patently out of their range, which only leads me to think that their spatial awareness isn’t great. Yes, modern footballs move about a lot in the air, but nowhere near the amount some top-level keepers think.
“I hope you enjoy the rest of your day, as I will be spending mine determining whether I can repair a bike tyre that was pierced by a shard of glass (10 miles away from home but fortunately within a mile of a railway station).”
Oof, good luck with that.
21 min Haaland turns Varane thrillingly, 25 yards from goal, rumbles to the edge of the area and smashes a left-footed drive over the bar.
20 min Now that they’re in front, City are content to make United work in the heat. Going behind after 13 seconds is never ideal, but against a Pep Guardiola team, in June, it’s especially unwise.
18 min Gundogan’s volley was actually timed at 13 seconds, not 14.
INCREDIBLE 🤯🤯
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) June 3, 2023
Ilkay Gundogan gives Man City the lead after 13 seconds!!#FACupFinal pic.twitter.com/mIfaj2hSGO
17 min There’s a touch for Haaland, who stretches to meet Gundogan’s driven pass but can only poke it straight at De Gea. I’m pretty sure he was offside anyway.
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16 min I’m not sure Erling Haaland has touched the ball yet, which, depending on your perspective, is either ominous or extremely ominous.
15 min Sancho moseys over to the right and gives the ball to Rashford in the area. He’s crowded out by City defenders. United are having more of the ball now.
14 min The fastest FA Cup final goals, since you asked.
14 seconds Ilkay Gundogan, Man City v Man Utd 2022-23
25 seconds Louis Saha, Everton v Chelsea 2008-09
43 seconds Roberto Di Matteo, Chelsea v Middlesbrough, 1996-97
12 min Casemiro leaves a bit on Akanji, who stays down for a while. It was checked by VAR but it certainly wasn’t a red card.
11 min I was going to say United have weathered the initial storm, but you can’t really say that when they are 1-0 down – even if the goal came before the storm. It is a more even contest than it was in the first six minutes.
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10 min “I’m not entirely sure when De Gea passed his peak, but he seems to be quite a way down the other side now. I mean, why didn’t he dive for that one?” says Andy Flintoff. “He just went down on one knee as Gundogan hit it and watched it fly past him.”
He passed it at the 2018 World Cup I think. He does still make outrageous reaction saves, though. To be honest I was so busy typing WTF that I didn’t have chance to assess whether he could have saved it. It looked like a slightly woolly header from Lindelof, though you can probably excuse that in the first 15 seconds.
8 min United have their first attack. After a decent spell of possession, Casemiro’s long-range shot is blocked by Stones.
7 min “Before today’s goal, I didn’t understand why City may let Gundogan go...” says Jeff Sax.
I think Guardiola’s attitude is to let grown-ups leave if they want a new challenge, which is a pretty admirable philosophy in more ways than one. They’d miss him though, no question.
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6 min United look shell-shocked, and if they’re not careful this could be over in the first quarter, never mind the first half. After a lazy backheel from Fernandes is easily intercepted, Grealish drives wide from 25 yards.
4 min: Just wide from Rodri! Dear me, it could have been 2-0. De Bruyne whipped an excellent free-kick from the right towards Rodri, 15 yards out at the near post. He twisted to power an excellent header that beat de Gea, motionless again, and hit the side netting.
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3 min That’s extraordinary. For a moment time stood still as everyone waited to see whether Gundogan’s volley was going inside or outside the right-hand post. The ripple of the net gave everyone the answer.
Ilkay Gundogan took the kick-off, then scored the fastest goal in FA Cup final history! Ortega’s long kick was headed away by Victor Lindelof, but only as far as Gundogan 25 yards out. He quickly adjusted his feet to cut across a beautiful dipping volley that beat the motionless De Gea and dropped into the net!
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GOAL! Man City 1-0 Man Utd (Gundogan 14 secs)
I can’t spake!
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1 min Peep peep! City, specifically Ilkay Gundogan, kick off from left to right as we watch.
Alejandro Garnacho update He is among the substitutes. Meanwhile, City’s fans are already doing the Poznan. It must be a strange and wonderful feeling to go into a final against one of the biggest clubs in the world feeling almost certain that you are going to win.
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Erling Haaland, hair tied back for now, shakes hands with the 11 men he may be about to eat alive. It’s almost time for kick-off in the first ever all Manchester FA Cup final.
“Whatever happens today at Wembley,” says Simon McMahon, “it won’t be as remarkable as Jaap Stam’s accent. Half Liam Gallagher, half Erik ten Hag. Or a Dutch Steve McClaren. I can’t quite figure it out.”
I wouldn’t ridicule Jaap. You do realise he knows where you live.
“The picture of Pep, with the huge P on his tracksuit top, looks like an avatar - a remorseless robot who is programmed to win, win, win,” says Francis Mead. “But given the advances in AI, how would we know if it was or wasn’t? And anyway, would it make any difference? Pep more or less IS a remorseless winning robot. AI and life are now truly entwined.”
Are you suggesting Chelsea should sack Mauricio Pochettino and appoint ChatGPT?
Here come the players. City’s look more relaxed, it must be said. Or is that what they want us to believe?
Mike Summerbee and Sir Alex Ferguson walk onto the field with the FA Cup. Summerbee won it as a player in 1969, Ferguson as a manager in 1990, 1994, 1996, 1999 and 2004.
The pre-match ceremony, Abide With Me and all that, is under way
It’s a glorious day at Wembley, perfect weather for letting the ball do the work. You’d think the game was being played in June or something.
“Not only did the two clubs meet in 2011 at the semi-final stage,” begins Paul Hinson, “they also did in 1926 at Bramall Lane, when City won 3-0 and Frank Barson earned himself a long ban.”
Ah, Francis Barson, a man who made Francis Begbie look like a pacifist in comparison.
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“Effing hell, Rob,” says Duncan Edwards. “Is Garnacho actually on the bench or what? He’s missing completely from the lineup in the article, which would potentially be a huge blow.”
I think that’s a mistake. He was certainly in the squad at 2pm.
One. Final. Time.
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) June 3, 2023
COME ON UNITED! 🔴⚪️⚫️#MUFC || #FACup
And so does Erik ten Hag
This is something special: Wembley, Manchester United v Manchester City. As a kid I watched a lot of FA Cup finals, it has a big reputation across the world. It’s great to be part of it.
It’s all about belief*. Belief that we can beat them. I think the players believe that, because we beat them before, so we know we are capable of doing it We have 42 wins across the season – they have the same, 42 wins – so we have an opportunity to win this.
Casemiro, Rapha Varane, they know how to win titles, so they will be key.
Man United has a great legacy, and I so admire the Class of 92, the ones who won the treble with Sir Alex. We want to protect that with all we have, but it’s also about us – about this team. We have to make our own legacy.
* Hang on, has been listening to Lift It High?!
Pep Guardiola speaks
What an honour to be here, to play a final against United in this magnificent stadium and in this beautiful competition. We are ready. We trained as well as possible; the players know the magnitude of the opponent and what we have to do.
It’s always hard to pick a team, particular for a final. [Can Riyad Mahrez consider himself especially unlucky?] And six or seven more. I decided on this selection.
We have to control the emotions and stick together in the bad moments. Finals are always uncomfortable and you have to handle it. [What’s the quality the team have to show today?] Be ourselves.
“You nearly gave me a heart attack with the line-ups as you didn’t include Garnacho...” writes Marv. “Have him pegged to come and get us a winner.”
If United are to win, I think he’ll play a big part. There must have been a temptation to start him, partly in fear that the game could be over by the hour mark, but that would be like a cricket captain setting a field for bad bowling. Ultimately, at this stage of his career, Garnacho is much better as an impact substitute.
“Hi Rob,” says Neill Brown. “Just a note to say that the final is exclusively live on Paramount+ here in Australia. Natives can sign up for a free seven-day trial in the next 30 minutes or so, and cancel any subscription before Friday. I did it a few hours ago ago and I have the pre-game on now. Here’s to a great game.”
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Women's Champions League final
In a brilliant piece of scheduling from all concerned, the Champions League final between Barcelona and Wolfsburg also kicks off at 3pm. You can follow that one with Sarah Rendell.
“Disappointing to see Ben Stokes cruelly dropped from the City squad,” writes John Burrell. “He had a chance to do something special today. Guardiola is ruthless. Seems to only care about winning and picking footballers in his squad.”
Actually, as Ben Stokes has somehow hijacked this liveblog, how good would it be to eavesdrop on a dinner chat between Guardiola and Stokes? Two idealistic winners who have revolutionised their sport.
Team news: Bernardo and Fred start
No big surprises on either side. Pep Guardiola picks the XI that destroyed Real Madrid and Arsenal. That means Bernardo Silva is preferred to Riyad Mahrez, who scored a hat-trick for City in the semi-final.
Erik ten Hag has picked Fred to man-mark Kevin De Bruyne, as he did at Old Trafford in January. Antony is out, not even fit enough for the bench, so Bruno Fernandes will play from the right wing. There are two changes from that game in January: Victor Lindelof for Tyrell Malacia (Luke Shaw played centre-back in that game), and Jadon Sancho for the injured Anthony Martial.
Man City (3-2-2-3ish) Ortega; Walker, Dias, Akanji; Stones, Rodri; De Bruyne, Gundogan; Bernardo, Haaland, Grealish.
Substitutes: Ederson, Phillips, Ake, Laporte, Alvarez, Mahrez, Foden, Palmer, Lewis.
Man Utd (4-2-3-1ish) De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Lindelof, Shaw; Casemiro, Fred; Fernandes, Eriksen, Sancho; Rashford.
Substitutes: Butland, Dalot, Maguire, Malacia, McTominay, Pellistri, Elanga, Garnacho, Weghorst.
Referee Paul Tierney.
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Just as lazy livebloggeres sometimes prepare entries in advance and then launch them at the appropriate time, so the FA’s chosen engraver has already carved ‘2023 MANCHESTER’ on the FA Cup. Thankfully, unlike some hapless clowns I could mention, he didn’t make any typos.
From the archive: the Joy of Six (FA Cup final department)
The road to Wembley (United dept)
Third round Everton (H) 3-1
Fourth round Reading (H) 3-1
Fifth round West Ham (H) 3-1
Quarter-final Fulham (H) yep, 3-1
Semi-final Brighton (N) 0-0 (7-6 pens)
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The road to Wembley (City dept)
Third round Chelsea (H) 4-0
Fourth round Arsenal (H) 1-0
Fifth round Bristol City (A) 3-0
Quarter-final Burnley (H) 6-0
Semi-final Sheff Utd (N) 3-0
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2023-24 department
And it looks like Mateo Kovacic is on his way to Manchester City as well.
“Been waiting a supporting lifetime for a Manchester derby cup final,” writes Richard Temple. “CTID but have a feeling United will nick it today.”
There is a way United can win – we saw it in January, pretty much – but there’s also a way City can be 6-1 up after 73 minutes. The key, I think, is how United deal with Ben Stokes John Stones and the overload in midfield. They handled City really well at Old Trafford in January, but Stones didn’t play that game and from memory Joao Cancelo didn’t really make a box midfield.
FA Cup final supplement (part 2)
“Good to see Ben Stokes warming up for the Ashes with an FA Cup final,” says Leo in Sydney, a reference to a typo in the possible XIs that has since been airbrushed from history, or would have been but for this email. “Is there anything he can’t do?”
With typos like that, I’m glad David White is no longer playing for City.
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The closest these teams have come to playing in a cup final was 12 years ago: the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley, with Stoke or Bolton waiting in the final (no offence, although that is quite offensive isn’t it). It was, as the former Guardian writer Nathan Barley used to say, the day the world changed.
Yaya Toure scored the only goal after a mistake from Michael Carrick, and the match was a bookend in Manchester derby history. United will hope to add another today.
FA Cup final supplement (part 1)
Early team news
Pep Guardiola confirmed that Stefan Ortega will start in goal for Manchester City, and that he has a full squad to choose from. Either he’s very lucky, or he has managed this uniquely demanding season like a genius.
Manchester United are without six of their first-team squad, including two likely starters: Lisandro Martinez and Anthony Martial or Antony (I doubt they would both have started). There’s an outside chance Antony will be fit enough for the bench.
Possible XIs
Man City (3-2-2-3ish) Ortega; Walker, Dias, Akanji; Stones, Rodri; De Bruyne, Gundogan; Mahrez, Haaland, Grealish.
Man Utd (4-2-3-1ish) De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Lindelof, Shaw; Casemiro, Fred; Fernandes, Eriksen, Sancho; Rashford.
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Preamble
And now for something completely different. Never mind the FA Cup; this is the first time Manchester City and Manchester United have met in the final of any competition. That’s not quite as unlikely as it sounds – Arsenal and Spurs have never met in a final either – but it does make for a unique occasion. Especially as it’s also the first FA Cup final in which two doubles and a treble have been at stake.
City are two games away from joining United in the promised land, an achievement that has been on the cards since Abu Dhabi x Pep Guardiola was launched in 2016. If all goes to plan in the next eight days 2022-23 will be the greatest season in City’s history, the year their awesome dominance of English football reached its logical conclusion.
United aspire to greater prizes than the Carabao and FA Cups. But Rome wasn’t built in a season, and victory today would turn a fine first season under Erik ten Hag into an outstanding one. They beat City 2-1 at Old Trafford in January, although they also lost 6-3 at the Etihad, and they were flattered by that scoreline.
It’s a clash of the titans, 1st v 3rd in Premier League terms, yet it also has a whiff of David and Goliath. Historical odds are a handy gauge of this thing, and United have never been such outsiders for a cup final – not even when they met arguably the greatest club side of all, Pep Guardiola’s 2010-11 Barcelona, in the Champions League final.
In fact, United (3-1) are longer odds to win today than Wimbledon (11-4) were against Liverpool in 1988. And look what happened then.
Kick-off 3pm BST.
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