Man City vs Man United FA Cup final score, result as Ilkay Gundogan keeps Pep Guardiola's treble dream alive

Dom Farrell

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Man City vs Man United FA Cup final score, result as Ilkay Gundogan keeps Pep Guardiola's treble dream alive image

WEMBLEY STADIUM, LONDON — Manchester City captain Ilkay Gundogan made FA Cup history before keeping Pep Guardiola's side on track for the treble with a 2-1 win over Manchester United.

City take on Inter Milan in next weekend's Champions League final and sealed a fifth Premier League title in six seasons last month.

United are the only English team to have won the full set of league, cup and European Cup when Alex Ferguson's celebrated side completed that particular clean sweep in 1998/99.

Their ambitions to thwart their neighbours in the first cup final between the Manchester clubs got off to a nightmare start when Gundogan dispatched a sumptuous volley following Erling Haaland's knockdown after 12 seconds — the fastest goal in this showpiece, outstripping Roberto Di Matteo for Chelsea against Middlesbrough in 1997 and Louis Saha for Everton against Chelsea in 2009.

Man City vs Man United FA Cup final score

  Full-time  Goal scorers
MCI 2 Ilkay Gunodgan '1, '51
MUN 1 Bruno Fernandes (pen) '33

Lineups:

Man City (3-2-4-1, right to left): 18-Stefan Ortega (GK) — 2-Kyle Walker (14-Aymeric Laporte), 3-Ruben Dias, 25-Manuel Akanji — 5-John Stones, 16-Rodri — 20-Bernardo Silva, 17-Kevin De Bruyne (47-Phil Foden), 8-Ilkay Gundogan, 10-Jack Grealish (6-Nathan Ake) — 9-Erling Haaland

Man United (4-3-3, right to left): 1-David De Gea (GK) — 29-Aaron Wan-Bissaka, 2-Victor Lindelof (39-Scott McTominay), 19-Raphael Varane, 23-Luke Shaw — 18-Casemiro, 14-Christian Eriksen (49-Alejandro Garnacho), 17-Fred — 8-Bruno Fernandes, 10-Marcus Rashford, 25-Jadon Sancho (27-Wout Weghorst)

MORE: Man City vs Man United: Everything, everywhere all at once in the 2023 FA Cup final

Rodri almost doubled City's lead shortly afterwards but United were level after half an hour when the VAR penalised Jack Grealish for handball and Bruno Fernandes converted.

Guardiola's side struggled for their usual irresistible rhythm after that setback but Gundogan met a Kevin De Bruyne free-kick, this time with his left foot, to send a bouncing shot beyond David de Gea seven minutes into the second half.

Gundogan thought he had a hat-trick when De Gea saved from Haaland and he dispatched the rebound from an offside position.

Alejandro Garnacho's cameo from the bench lifted United and fellow substitute Scott McTominay and Raphael Varane tried to smuggle a goal from a late scramble as City held out to stay on course for a slice of history.

Man City cannot lose master clutch player Ilkay Gundogan

The FA Cup final could prove to be the last game Gundogan plays on English soil in a City shirt. Barcelona and AC Milan are thought to be very keen and it might come down to whether Guardiola can persuade the board to give the 32-year-old a two- rather than a one-year contract extension.

From this vantage point it looks like an absolute no-brainer. Gundogan's record-setting effort was another champagne moment in a City career packed with them. When City's rhythm deserted them after Fernandes' equaliser, up he stepped with another goal. It should come as no surprise from the man whose brace snatched the league title against Aston Villa on the final day of last season. His immaculate double at Everton effectively extinguished Arsenal's challenge this time around.

"I don't need these kind of days to feel special and appreciated at this club," Gundogan told BBC Sport when asked about his future after the final. "Nothing is decided yet. We're going to see what's going to happen."

Mateo Kovacic has been heavily linked to City over recent days but he must surely be an "as well as" rather than an "instead of" signing. Guardiola has bigger stars in his squad but you can make a case that Gundogan would be the hardest to replace of them all.

Grealish's VAR woe highlights chaos of handball rule

First things first: after Paul Tierney trotted over to the monitor and saw replays of Aaron Wan-Bissaka's knockdown clipping Jack Grealish's hand, he was right to give a penalty under the current interpretation of the rules. However, those rules are indisputably a mess. Several United players around City's area appealed to Tierney when the ball struck Grealish, but they quietened fairly quickly, which is telling in a game of this magnitude. Fernandes and United then accepted their gift with glee.

In the final analysis, it is a moment that might be forgotten. But the game as a whole highlighted how handball calls in the VAR age operate with a different burden of proof to almost anything else on the field. Take, for example, Casemiro plunging his studs into Manuel Akanji's ankle: it might have been a red card on another day, but Tierney saw the incident and decided to crack on. The same when Fred clumsily bundled into De Bruyne in the United box.

Those clashes allow the officials to operate within a sizeable shade of grey. Whether or not you agree with Tierney's decisions, he at least has the chance to make them. Handball is ludicrously black and white by contrast and it helps no one involved.

Garnacho points towards bright future as Sancho struggles

It will come as no consolation as the bitter taste of defeat lingers, but this was a very handy encapsulation of precisely where United are up to under Ten Hag. These players have capitulated under high-quality pressure before, such as in the 6-3 derby defeat at the Etihad Stadium or more recent 7-0 humiliation against Liverpool at Anfield. But United dug in and showed commendable backbone under the famous arch.

Their former Ajax head coach has designs on playing beautiful football and was way too open in his first derby. Here, United leant into the gnarly qualities embodied by Fred, Casemiro and Fernandes to drag City into a scrap. On another day, it might have paid off.

However, Eriksen's laboured performance as Rodri and John Stones ran the midfield and Jadon Sancho's non-event of a Wembley outing showed there remains work to be done on both the transfer market and training ground. Signing Mason Mount and giving Garnacho the backing to thrive as a regular starter would both be steps in the right direction.

Man City vs Man United as it happened, highlights from the 142nd FA Cup final

FULL-TIME: MANCHESTER CITY ARE THE FA CUP WINNERS!!!!

Captain Ilkay Gundogan is the hero for his side. City have won their second-ever domestic double. The treble is still on despite the best efforts of a flawed but tireless United side who are going places under Erik ten Hag. That won't come as too much comfort tonight as their neighbours take a giant step towards sporting immortality at their expense.

90th minute+5: Haaland gallops towards the corner flag and wins a corner. The City fans roar. That should be that.

90th minute+3: Gundogan is named man of the match in the stadium. Walker has what must be some absolutely genuine cramp. Aymeric Laporte is coming on in a very Our League move from Pep Guardiola.

90th minute+2: ABSOLUTE MAYHEM IN THE MANCHESTER CITY BOX!!!!! First Varane, then McTominay are denied as a combination of Stones, Ortega and his crossbar see the danger out, despite the fact Ortega ended up swinging on said crossbar. Nurse!!!

90th minute: Rodri booked for a foul on Fred. There will be four minutes Fergie Ti... I mean injury time.

89th minute: City have enjoyed a breather in the United half but Ake is coming on for Grealish to bolt this one down.

87th minute: Kyle Walker might have "pocketed" Vinicius Junior the other week but Garnacho is proving a massive inconvenience and wins another free-kick off the England man. Now the United subs come to the fore. Weghorst with the knockdown to Rashford, Rodri with the block on McTominay's wailing shot from the second ball.

83rd minute: Weghorst is caught needlessly and frustratingly offside. That allows a break in play for McTominay to replace Lindelof. As United reshuffle their defence Haaland looks to barrel through. Varane gets the challenge in and it flies just wide off the Norwegian's shin. They all count and that would have brought the house down.

82nd minute: City take a bit more time out of the game but Foden's pass towards Gundogan is misjudged and goes out for a goalkick.

80th minute: Close for City. A wonderful Foden touch keeps an attack alive. Silva drives across goal, Akanji slides in but can't connect and almost does himself a disservice on the goalpost.

78th minute: Wout Weghorst is on for Sancho, who's not been great at all. Grealish has some clear grass in front of him and Fred very much earns his yellow card.

76th minute: Phil Foden comes on for De Bruyne. 

75th minute: Suddenly United are camped in the City half. Casemiro has a shot blocked by Grealish. Now Garnacho again, who has changed the entire flavour of the contest. He's in behind a flagging Walker but Dias covers around. 

72nd minute: Garnachoooo!! Just wide. Are United emboldened by that let-off? Their fans certainly are.

71st minute: GOOOAAAA....NO! De Gea saves from Haaland, Gundogan taps home the rebound and thinks he has the matchball but he's offside. There was no real need for him to be off there either.

70th minute: Silva battles successfully for the ball with Garnacho inside the United half. He boots a pass back towards Walker and receives a punching, aggressive thumbs-up from Guardiola. Another indication that City might want to hold on to what they have. 

69th minute: He's been on the fringes but Rashford still feels like United's most likely route back into this match. He turns and backs up the City defence before thundering a drive just over Ortega's crossbar.

67th minute: Rodri strides forward, Rashford sprints back to win the ball. United fans roar. Garnacho has a look at City and in comes Stones. Those in blue roar. Proper derby day activity from all concerned.

65th minute: John Stones is all over this game in his hybrid defender/midfielder gig. Even a fairly rank hack over from 30 yards get his name sung by the City faithful.

63rd minute: The ineffective Christian Eriksen makes way for Garnacho. That means Fernandes into midfield and Sancho and Garnacho either side of Rashford. Plenty of attacking firepower but probably a couple more holes in midfield for City to try and punch through. A key passage of the game coming up.

62nd minute: Big save from De Gea. Some people are questioning the United goalkeeper's role in City's second goal but he stood firm with a trademark stop there, flinging out a right boot and De Bruyne sought to put blue ribbons on the cup.

60th minute: Alejandro Garnacho is getting ready to come on. Ten Hag fighting fire with fire. You'd imagine Sancho is the prime candidate to go for a sit down.

59th minute: Gundogan sparkling at the heart of everything City are doing now. He's enjoying himself, as he well might. A left-footed cross is too high for Haaland though, which means it really is rather overhit.

57th minute: More City pressure, another De Bruyne delivery and then Lindelof nearly puts through his own goal. United deal with the corner. They rode out a spell like this early in the first half and have to knuckle down once more.

51st minute: GOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLL!!!!!! Ilkay Gundogan!!!

Not content with scoring a cup final volley from outside the box with his right foot, the City skipper does so with his left foot. It's not as picture perfect, as De Bruyne sends the free-kick deep and Gundogan drives his shot into the turf. De Gea was unsighted but might want to have done a bit better.

51st minute: Fred kicks De Bruyne quite hard on the boot and claims he got the ball. Lovely stuff. Free-kick on the right wing to City.

49th minute: De Bruyne cuts one across the United box but it bisects Haaland and Gundogan. It's been a while since Guardiola's side have built one of their trademark, rolling spells of pressure.

46th minute: Back underway, no changes and United look for the early goal this time, raiding into the left-hand side of the City box.

HALF-TIME:

All square at the break then. When Ilkay Gundogan scored the quickest goal in cup final history after 16 seconds you sensed City were ready to put down one of their early obliteration jobs. Rodri and Erling Haaland each came close-ish but Pep Guardiola's team didn't reach top gear and looked to manage the game as much as kill it. That was working well enough until Jack Grealish was unfortunate to catch Aaron Wan-Bissaka's knockback with his hand. Bruno Fernandes converted from the spot and a tetchy contest from that point onwards appeared more suited to a United side who are battling, scrapping and spoiling very effectively.

45th minute+4: Well, that's a bit daft. Wan-Bissaka comes sliding into a challenge on Grealish that he was never going to get to in time. That's a yellow card and City have a chance to fling the ball into the box from what will probably be the final action of the half.

45th minute+3: Lovely piece of skill from Rashford to burst into the City box and Silva scampers back to clear. Of the two sides, the Premier League champions arguably need half-time a little more urgently.

45th minute+2: De Bruyne sizes up the United area and then cracks a wasteful pass straight at Casemiro. Paul Tierney decides Dias stops the counter-attack illegally. He doesn't have many friends in blue right now.

45th minute+1: The combination of a drinks break and some VAR action means there will be four additional minutes.

44th minute: Silva knocks the ball past Shaw, who closes the door and the Portugal star has a bit of a petulant swipe. It's safe to say that City have not really recovered their poise since the penalty incident.

42nd minute: Here comes Rashford. Back in his natural habitat, in slide Stones and it's a corner. Eriksen with the out-swinger that reaches Varane to prod a volley over at the back post.

39th minute: Stones again, now in down the left channel (obviously). He cuts the ball back towards De Bruyne, who goes down. City want a penalty. Paul Tierney isn't interested and Guardiola isn't particularly happy.

37th minute: John Stones is gadding about all over the show. He tries to charge down a De Gea clearance, then pops up on the right wing to win a corner. De Bruyne and Silva work a short routine nicely but United clear.

34th minute: City look to restore their lead but De Bruyne overhits from a good crossing position to widespread guffaws behind the goal.

33rd minute: GOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLL!!!!!! Bruno Fernandes (pen)!!!

Cool as you like, sits Ortega down and rolls the ball home. United would certainly have taken this half an hour ago. You sense City might have just relaxed a bit at 1-0 and, out of nothing, they've paid the price.

30th minute: PENALTY TO MANCHESTER UNITED! Well, well, well. That looked innocuous but the VAR has had a word with Paul Tierney and Wan-Bissaka's knockback hit Grealish's hand, which was above his head and deemed to be in an unnatural position.

27th minute: We're back underway, including De Gea, who is relieved to see a left-footed drive from De Bruyne skip past his left-hand post.

24th minute: Casemiro aims an early cross from deep. It's nicely done, even if Rashford can only glance harmlessly wide. The players are stopping for a water break, apart from De Gea, who is down having some treatment.

23rd minute: Ortega pops a lovely chip into midfield and De Bruyne is off. It looks like he's going to score one of those Kevin De Bruyne goals, all pumping arms and legs but overruns it. At the other end, Dias shuts the door on Rashford.

21st minute: Haaland's starting to make a nuisance of himself. City's No. 9 turns away from three United defenders and thunders a shot over from outside the box

17th minute: A sliding Haaland almost gets on the end of something in the United box. At the other end, Sancho tries to outpace Walke, bless him. It's a game effort, in truth, but the England defender relishes those situations like few others.

15th minute: Rashford and Sancho combine but the former is crowded out in a tight spot. Gundogan and Grealish try, slightly riskily, to play out of a tight spot. They win a throw-in. Fernandes is furious about this.

13th minute: Things have at least settled down a bit, which is a credit to United given how City flew out of the blocks. Wan Bissaka tussles with Akanji down the City left but gets no change.

8th minute: United finally settle into some possession inside the City half. Casemiro aims a shot from 35 yards that is blocked before it reaches the penalty area. In an esteemed career, he's had brighter ideas. Ten Hag's men keep the attack alive and the ball is floated towards the back post, where Fernandes fouls Walker.

6th minute: Now some space for Grealish, who sizes things up and drags a low shot wide from 25 yards. United are in the middle of a brutal storm right now that they have to ride out.

4th minute: Almost 2-0! De Bruyne swings a free-kick in from the right and Rodri rises at the near post. De Gea is rooted to the spot as the ball ripples the side netting. Plenty in the City end behind Ortega's goal through that was in.

1st minute: GOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLL!!!!!! Ilkay Gundogan!!!

Manchester City's captain has scored the quickest goal in FA Cup final history and it's an absolute screamer. Haaland knocks the ball down, Lindelof and De Bruyne challenge for the second ball and the Germany midfielder creams a volley past De Gea.

KICK-OFF

Ilkay Gundogan gets us underway, and then jogs in the direction of the United box...

1 min to kickoff: As they did at the 2011 semifinal, City fans turn their backs and launch into a Poznan as the United team is read out. There's a haze from the pre-match pyrotechnics. It's hot. It's loud. Let's do this. The 190th Manchester derby, the first ever Manchester derby in a major final. Hold onto your bucket hats.

5 mins to kickoff: Alex Ferguson and Mike Summerbee have delivered the matchball. The fans are making an absolute racket. The teams are in the tunnel with Bruno Fernandes and Ruben Dias sharing a terse hug. We're almost ready to go.

10 mins to kickoff: The teams are back inside and we're right into cup final pomp and circumstance. The Massed Bands of the Royal Corps of Army Music are playing the traditional cup final hymn Abide With Me. The Young Guns gospel choir are taking the lead. They sound beautiful and are in white suits that are all a bit Liverpool 1996.

25 mins to kickoff: The teams are out for their warmups. Guardiola has resisted the urge to select hometown hero Foden, who scored a hat-trick in a 6-3 win over United earlier this season. Akanji being selected ahead of Ake means it's an identical City XI to the one that ransacked Real Madrid 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium last month to book a place in the Champions League final. You'd think a similar performance gets the job done today.

Getty Images

MORE: Man City vs Real Madrid final score, result, highlights with Silva at the double in Champions League rout

55 mins to kickoff: For United, former City youth teamer Jadon Sancho gets the nod to start on the left of the front three. It looks like it will be Marcus Rashford through the middle and Bruno Fernandes on the right, with a midfield three of Casemiro, Fred and Christian Eriksen behind them.

1 hour to kickoff: The teams are in. Manuel Akanji gets the nod at left-back for City ahead of Nathan Ake, who starts on the bench alongside Phil Foden, Riyad Mahrez and Julian Alvarez - a handy trio to call upon if Pep Guardiola needs to salvage anything late in the day.

1 hr 10 mins to kickoff: City have just arrived, with Jack Grealish looking particularly relaxed. United got here first and Erik Ten Hag has already been out on the Wembley turf to applaud the Red Devils fans who've got in their seats nice and early. 

1 hr 20 mins to kickoff: There's a fair bit of trepidation from a Manchester United point of view today. Their neighbours City are dominating English football as they themselves did under Alex Ferguson. The old master looms over today's game and not just because he's due to bring the matchball out with City great Mike Summerbee. As Erik Ten Hag, Marcus Rashford and other have been at pains to point out, United are attempting to preserve theirs and Ferguson's legacy as English football's only treble winners. City are understandably favourites but United won the most recent meeting, 2-1 at Old Trafford in January. A month later they won the first major final of the season here, beating Newcastle United to lift the Carabao Cup.

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MORE: Erik ten Hag trophies won at Ajax, Manchester United as he lifts the League Cup with The Red Devils

1 hr 40 mins to kickoff: The last time Erling Haaland was in this stadium for a Manchester City final appearance he came as a fan with his dad Alfie to watch Manuel Pellegrini's Blues triumph 3-1 against Sunderland. He's now, of course, very much the man of the moment, with 52 goals in all competitions this season. He's only managed one in his previous six outings, mind. The Norway star will want to sign off his debut season in England with a bang.

Getty Images

MORE: Erling Haaland goals, records for Manchester City: Updated list and latest goals

2 hours to kickoff: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News' live coverage of Manchester City vs. Manchester United in the FA Cup final. Pep Guardiola's Premier League champions are in the hunt for a treble, with this mouth-watering clash coming a week ahead of a Champions League final showdown against Inter Milan in Istanbul. United are the only other English team to have won the treble, doing so in 1999. Twelve years after that, Yaya Toure scored the only goal for City to sink their neighbours in an FA Cup semifinal at Wembley. It proved to be the key moment in ending a three-and-a-half-decade trophy drought. Twelve years after that, the old rivals meet at the national stadium again in this colossal clash.

Man City vs Man United FA Cup final lineups, team news

Manuel Akanji missed City's last two Premier League matches due to injury but returned to training alongside Kevin De Bruyne, Ruben Dias and Jack Grealish this week. Guardiola confirmed regular domestic cup goalkeeper Stefan Ortega will start ahead of Ederson.

Man City lineup (3-2-4-1): 18-Stefan Ortega (GK) — 2-Kyle Walker, 3-Ruben Dias, 25-Manuel Akanji — 5-John Stones, 16-Rodri — 20-Bernardo Silva, 17-Kevin De Bruyne, 8-Ilkay Gundogan, 10-Jack Grealish — 9-Erling Haaland

Antony (ankle) and Anthony Martial (hamstring) are both sidelined for United, clearing a space for Jadon Sancho to start against his former employers

Man United lineup (4-3-3): 1-David De Gea (GK) — 29-Aaron Wan-Bissaka, 2-Victor Lindelof, 19-Raphael Varane, 23-Luke Shaw — 18-Casemiro, 14-Christian Eriksen, 17-Fred — 8-Bruno Fernandes, 10-Marcus Rashford, 25-Jadon Sancho

MORE: Are Man City the greatest Premier League dynasty?

Man City vs Man United FA Cup final live stream, TV channel

  TV channel Streaming
USA — ESPN+
Canada Sportsnet Sportsnet Now
UK BBC1, ITV1, UTV, STV Scotland BBC iPlayer, ITVX, STV Player
Australia — Paramount+
India Sony Ten 2 JioTV, Sony LIV
Hong Kong — M Plus Live
Malaysia Astro Supersport 4 Astro Go, sooka
New Zealand Sky Sport 7 beIN Sports beIN Sports Connect
Singapore 111 mio Sports 1 —

USA: This fixture can be streamed on ESPN+.

Canada: Viewers from Canada can stream this game on Sportsnet Now.

UK: The match will broadcast on both BBC One and ITV 1, as well as UTV in Northern Ireland and STV in Scotland, and can be streamed on BBC iPlayer along with STV and ITVX.

Australia: The final can be streamed on Paramount+.

Dom Farrell

Dom Farrell Photo

Dom is the senior content producer for Sporting News UK. He previously worked as fan brands editor for Manchester City at Reach Plc. Prior to that, he built more than a decade of experience in the sports journalism industry, primarily for the Stats Perform and Press Association news agencies. Dom has covered major football events on location, including the entirety of Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup in Paris and St Petersburg respectively, along with numerous high-profile Premier League, Champions League and England international matches. Cricket and boxing are his other major sporting passions and he has covered the likes of Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, Wladimir Klitschko, Gennadiy Golovkin and Vasyl Lomachenko live from ringside.