• 7 months ago
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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