Manchester City earned a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Manchester United to secure the FA Cup today – their second trophy of the season.
Ilkay Gundogan proved the difference between the two teams, netting twice to keep City’s treble dream alive.
Man United went behind inside 12 seconds, with Gundogan scoring the fastest-ever FA Cup final goal.
Bruno Fernandes levelled from the penalty spot, but City regained the lead courtesy of Gundogan’s second volleyed finish of the game.
Here are our three talking points from the FA Cup Final.
Time for David De Gea to move on?
De Gea is one of the dressing room leaders and rightfully deserves to be called a club legend.
He is undeniably a great shot-stopper, but modern football demands more than that single attribute.
The Spaniard wasn’t ready when Gundogan blasted the ball into the net for the first time. He should have saved the second goal but could only push the ball into the side netting.
He is extremely poor when it comes to playing out from the back, which is pivotal to Erik ten Hag’s style of football.
De Gea’s current deal expires at the end of this month. If Ten Hag were guaranteed a hefty transfer budget, this would have been Spaniard’s last game for United.
Man United need to be ruthless in the transfer window
The Red Devils competed well against the best side in the world.
Ten Hag deployed a system to block off City’s route to attack through the middle. United tried to push City out wide, but the Premier League champions were too good for them.
Fred was given the duty of keeping track of Kevin De Bruyne, but they forgot to deal with Gundogan, who often turns into ‘prime Zidane’ at the business end of the season.
The Red Devils have to back their manager in the upcoming transfer window if they want to have any hopes of catching their city rivals.
Many positions need reinforcement, including the addition of a new world-class striker.
Man City charge towards the historical treble
Pep Guardiola’s side are just one step away from going into history books after claiming FA Cup glory.
Arsenal gave them tough competition in the Premier League, but City went on a stunning 12-match winning run to conquer another league title.
They will clash with Inter Milan in a blockbuster Champions League final next Saturday.
The Cityzens are hot favourites to script history by completing the treble in Istanbul.
