FA Cup final: Post-match verdict from Wembley

ManchesterWorld

Our reporters Michael Plant and Rich Fay give their immediate reaction as Manchester United beat Manchester City in the Wembley final.

Transcript

00:00 Hello from a very noisy Wembley where myself and Rich May are here on an afternoon with

00:07 Manchester United up in front of the FA Cup champions. Truthfully I don't know how many

00:12 of us really saw that coming but a superb performance Merritton Hardside sees them lift

00:17 the trophy and might just be able to leap out above me, don't know if they're still there.

00:22 Some of the players just collected the trophy but Rich from a United perspective tell us

00:27 about the emotions and the feelings today from the team on a fantastic afternoon for

00:32 the Red Devils. That was the United team playing for the margin, all the speculation going

00:37 into the game was on Eric Ten Hag, on his future and on those reports that circled

00:42 before the game that he would be stacked regardless of the result at the end of the day. But after

00:47 watching that and Man Utd pass the class, United fans have been wondering how do you

00:51 stack a margin after that because that was a team who were playing for Eric Ten Hag,

00:55 every single player played their heart out really. Javi Mane who was a man of the match,

01:00 what a story, the stop-put one, Charlotte, a superb goal. Bruno Fernandes proving that

01:07 he is world class and as good as anyone on his day. Alejandro Garnacho, hard for the

01:12 story of a season with the United, 39 starts in a row. But you look at everyone, Amribat,

01:17 a masterclass, Juan Besata one of his best ever United performances. Andre Ogana, he

01:22 made a mistake with the doping goal but it was a complete save there. Rafael Varane and

01:27 Martínez in defence as well. You've got to wonder where United would have finished

01:32 the season had they had Martínez and Varane available for the whole campaign. It was an

01:36 absolute sensational performance. United, they deserved the winners, it wasn't just

01:41 a snatching grab on the counter-attack, they nullified City, they played superbly throughout

01:45 and United deserved to win the FA Cup. And also, they are now in the Europa League for

01:50 next season as well. So, although it was a very disappointing season, it's one that

01:54 has ended on quite a high with the trophy and with Europe. But as we were saying, Michael,

01:59 from a United point of view, how do you sacrifice your performance, but how do you keep them

02:04 after the season they've had? It's still been a disappointing season, but that right

02:07 then was a show of a team, a defiant display of a team who are behind their manager and

02:12 who still have a lot to give and you've got to go back to the injuries. If United were

02:17 fully fit, they could easily have been top four this season, they could easily have not

02:21 just won the FA Cup, maybe challenged for other trophies as well. But from a City point

02:24 of view, Michael, it was a chance of history, it was a chance of a double-double and it

02:29 really disappointed.

02:45 Well, yeah, thankfully the PA announcers just got a little bit more quiet. But yeah, I agree

02:49 exactly with what Rich said. From a United perspective, such a disappointing afternoon.

02:53 Sorry, from a Manchester City perspective, such a disappointing afternoon. City were

02:57 so disjointed, so lacking in their usual fluidity, their usual style of play. Usually they're

03:03 so oppressive, the way they are in four or five games. But they just lacked any sort

03:09 of rhythm at times. I think Pep only made a number of defensive changes, bringing in

03:13 Jon Stones and Nathan Ake. It didn't work, he had to make two changes at half-time. Bringing

03:19 on Dodo, who played really well on the left-hand side, and Manuel Akanji. But ultimately, I

03:25 think City left it too late, they just couldn't get back into the game. They really struggled

03:31 to break United down. United has had openings so open at times this season, through the

03:35 middle. City just couldn't find a way past them. And you have to say, United were fully

03:41 deserving of the trophy, the success and the silverware today. I do still think there's

03:47 been so many questions asked about Eric Ten Hag, we've got to judge him over the entire

03:51 course of the season, not just today, which I know a lot of United fans will think about.

03:56 But I think today is a day for United fans to enjoy. City obviously haven't made history

04:01 as a first side to become double-double winners. If we went back-to-back doubles, they would

04:08 be so disappointed, especially to end the season on the same number of trophies as Manchester

04:14 United. But I think that doesn't tell the whole story of the season. City have had a

04:18 very good season still, although it has ended in a disappointing manner. And I think from

04:22 the United perspective, they will enjoy themselves tonight. But from myself and Luke Trey, I'm

04:26 going to say goodbye. See you, thank you very much.

04:28 Oh, oh, nice.

04:29 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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