History Makers, Garnacho, Mainoo Win FA Cup For Man United
- As holders, Man City Fall 1-2 in 2024 final
The teenage duo of Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo made history by scoring in the FA Cup final as Manchester United shocked holders, Manchester City 2-1 on Saturday.
Simply put, it was the United’s finest result since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013. Obviously, with the managers that came calling after that, the bar has been lowered, the trophies drying up but this was a day for their fans to celebrate wildly as they stopped Manchester City from making more history.
Another Premier League and FA Cup double had been on for Pep Guardiola and his all-conquering team to follow the one from last season and the truth was that nobody gave United a chance. Erik Ten Hag’s time as the manager is up after the most traumatic of seasons; eighth in the league their lowest finish since 1989-90. And yet United refused to yield.
But the youngsters came to the party, scoring their goals in a golden first-half display by the Red Devils; never before have two teenagers scored in an FA Cup final. Ten Hag’s game plan worked perfectly as Garnacho and Mainoo two created history as the first teenage scorers in the FA Cup final following in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo who scored against Millwall in 2004.
United scored twice in the first half to derail the Cityzens’ dream of winning the Premier League and FA Cup back-to-back. Garnacho opened the goals’ gate at the half-hour mark before Mainoo doubled the Erik Ten Hag team’s lead in the 39th minute of the FA Cup final against Pep Guardiola’s men.
The match also saw Mainoo becoming the first English teenager to find his name on the score sheet in the all-important final since West Ham’s John Sissons scored in the 1964 FA Cup final against Preston North End.
Heading towards the FA Cup final, Mainoo enjoyed a rich vein of form in the 2023-24 campaign with the Red Devils that saw him appearing in 35 matches across all competitions, scoring five goals and providing three assists.
His impressive showing for Erik ten Hag’s side earned him a place in Gareth Southgate’s preliminary 33-man England squad for the Euro 2024.
Despite sustained pressure from the blue side of Manchester, the Old Trafford LandLords stoutly held on to their lead to win their maiden trophy of the season and the second title in the Ten Hag era after the Carabao Cup triumph in last year’s campaign.
Deservedly, Captain Bruno Fernades, surrounded by his teammates, triumphantly raises the FA Cup to the heavens, before handing it down the line for everyone else to have their moment in the spotlight. When everyone has had their turn, Andre Onoana hands it to Erik Ten Hag, who seemingly accepts the trophy reluctantly before planting a smacker on it and raising it himself. – With agency reports
