In the FA Cup final, Manchester United turned the tide by defeating Manchester City 2-1. Overcoming a challenging season, Man United’s triumph was led by their Coach Erik ten Hag. Regardless of rumours questioning his job stability, Ten Hag nonetheless delivered a startling victory against their city rivals in the FA Cup final.
Reports suggesting that Ten Hag’s engagement with United could end irrespective of the Wembley match outcome seemed to have faded as his team brilliantly executed their strategy to seize victory. Young talents Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo scored impressively, enabling their team to defeat their substitute opponents with a last-minute strike by Jeremy Doku.
This significant victory marked Erik ten Hag’s second consecutive season getting his hands on a trophy. But the question remains whether this victory combined with the qualification for the Europa League would satisfy ambitious Ineos, considering they had a less impressive eighth-position performance in the league.
During the crucial match at Wembley, Jim Ratcliffe accompanied United’s co-owners Joel Glazer and Avram Glazer, who appeared impressed with Ten Hag’s match strategy and the performance exhibited by the team. Despite expectations of City achieving back-to-back domestic doubles and securing a fourth consecutive top-flight title, they seemed to be underperforming that day.
Contrastingly, Manchester United exhibited intense focus and determination from the beginning. Halfway through the initial half, Garnacho took advantage of a defensive blunder to provide United with a surprising lead. Mainoo increased the lead with a composed finish to a splendid team endeavour just before halftime. City’s Erling Haaland’s attempt to recover was noticeable, hitting the crossbar during a tense time.
The game ended tensely as Andre Onana’s late successful strike against Doku almost equalised the score, but United pressed forward to end a challenging season with a win. Ten Hag is hopeful his FA Cup win would not end in his dismissal, as experienced by Louis van Gaal back in 2016.