10 unbelievable stats from Man Utd’s outstanding FA Cup final victory over Man City
Manchester United have won the FA Cup against all odds, beating rivals Manchester City 2-1 at Wembley.
The two youngest players on the pitch, Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo, scored as Erik ten Hag’s side produced a counterattacking masterclass in the first half – giving them a two-goal advantage going into the break.
Premier League champions City had looked strangely off-colour in the opening 45 minutes, struggling to create chances against United’s well-structured defence and forcing City into a number of mistakes – in particular a telling one with a mix-up between Josko Gvardiol and Stefan Ortega for Garnacho’s opener.
“I think they’ve been brilliant. Organised, hard to play through, hard to play around,” Manchester United’s all-time top goalscorer Wayne Rooney said at half-time, speaking on the BBC.
“The threats have been coming from the wide areas, obviously [Marcus] Rashford and [Alejandro] Garnacho and the two goals, obviously a mistake for the first goal but really good run from Garnacho.
“The two of them [Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane] have been outstanding. When you hear [Erik] Ten Hag talk about injuries, that’s what he means.
“I think when you talk about vital players, Martinez is a vital player for the club. He’s a leader. You can see that. He lead on the pitch. The whole team has been outstanding.”
Manchester City responded at half-time by bringing on Manuel Ajanji and Jeremy Doku, who made an immediate impact in the second half. Kevin De Bruyne was then withdrawn in place of Julian Alvarez as Guardiola’s men piled on the pressure looking to get back into it.
Ten Hag’s men withstood a period of City dominance early in the opening stages of the second half but appeared to have taken the sting out of the game when Doku scored out of nowhere late on, getting City back into it as the game ticked towards injury time.
But United continued to defend stoutly, even after star man Martinez had been replaced by Jonny Evans, to see out the 2-1 win to lift the FA Cup at their rivals’ expense, qualifying them for next season’s Europa League in the process.
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Here are 10 unbelievable stats from the FA Cup final:
– Prior to this meeting, Manchester United had lost their last three Manchester derbies and six of their last seven clashes with Gaurdiola’s City. The Opta supercomputer simulated City winning 68% of all potential meetings, while the bookmakers had City at 1/3 and United at 8/1 in the pre-match odds.
– Manchester United were the first side in 20 years – since Millwall in 2004 – to start two teenagers (Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo) in an FA Cup final. Both found themselves on the scoresheet in the first half. Never before in the entire history of the FA Cup have two teenagers scored in the final.
– Garnacho and Mainoo are the third and fourth teenagers to score for Manchester United in an FA final since Norman Whiteside (1983 v Brighton) and Cristiano Ronaldo (2004 v Millwall).
– Mainoo is the youngest English player (19 years, 36 days) to score in an FA Cup final in half a century. West Ham’s John Sissons in 1964 was the last – via @OptaJoe
– Not counting the penalty shootout defeat to Real Madrid, Manchester City midfielder Rodri had been unbeaten in his last 74 appearances for the club. The Spain international’s last defeat with City was away to Tottenham, well over a year ago in February 2023.
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QUIZ: Can you name Manchester United’s XI from their 2016 FA Cup final win?
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– Manchester United had lost 25 matches in all competitions since Rodri last tasted defeat with City.
– Manchester City boasted 74.3% possession in the first half, completing 349 passes (over three times as many as United) but only mustered three attempts and a single shot on target. Guardiola’s men notched just 0.15xG in the opening 45 minutes, while United registered 1.37xG.
– Mason Mount came on as a late substitute, helping see out the game with the score at 2-1. He’s ended his own individual curse of six successive Wembley final defeats with Derby, Chelsea and England. But he’s now won his first and only final to date with Manchester United.
– Bruno Fernandes completed three dribbles (as many as his team-mates combined), and notched 52 touches, the most of any United player, despite nominally playing further up the pitch. He also notched five of United’s total seven key passes. He also successfully managed 100% of his tackles attempted – five, which was the most of any player on the pitch.
– Prior to Erik ten Hag’s arrival, Manchester United had gone five seasons without winning a trophy. He’s now led the club to each of the two domestic cups in his two seasons in charge, and has now won as many FA Cups as both Jurgen Klopp and Mikel Arteta.