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Manchester City were crowned the 2022-23 FA Cup champions after beating Manchester United 2-1 in the finals at the Wembley Stadium on Saturday.
Ilkay Gundogan struck on either side of a penalty from Bruno Fernandes as the Sky Blues completed the league double, having also retained their Premier League trophy.
For the first time in the competition's history, City and United contested the FA Cup final, and the first half certainly lived up to the expectations.
Gundogan fired City in front after just 12 seconds in the kick-off, volleying a long-range shot past David de Gea after Kevin De Bruyne set him up with a headed pass.
The English champions remained on the front foot thereafter, dominating possession and creating chances. But United found their way back into the game in the 33rd minute.
Jack Grealish was penalized for a handball and Fernandes coolly converted the penalty to make it 1-1.
Just into the second half, though, City caught United off-guard once again as Gundogan skimmed a shot off De Bruyne's free-kick that found the bottom corner (51').
A while later, the German had the ball in the back of the net again after De Gea parried away Erling Haaland's shot into his path, but it was ruled out for offside.
United huffed and puffed in search of an equalizer, but couldn't beat City's stoic defense, with Alejandro Garnacho even rattling the crossbar in the 92nd minute.
Manchester City held out to win the match and lift their first FA Cup trophy since 2019. Up next for them - the Champions League final against Inter Milan on June 10 in Istanbul for the treble.
Here are the five talking points from the FA Cup final:
#5 City come flying out of the blocks to catch United off-guard
Manchester City were bookies' favorites to break the deadlock, but no one might have expected them to do so after just 12 seconds into the kick-off!
Stefan Ortega played a long ball upfield that Erling Haaland knocked on for Kevin De Bruyne, who then headed it into the path of Ilkay Gundogan. The German unleashed a ferocious effort into the top-right corner.
David de Gea was rooted to the spot as the Manchester United custodian had no chance, while his team were caught off-guard, trailing from so early on into the game.
#4 Gundogan makes history
Ilkay Gundogan's strike was not only quality but also record-breaking, as it was the fastest-ever goal in the FA Cup final history.
The previous record was held by Louis Saha, who scored for Everton after only 25 seconds into the 2009 final of the competition.
Whenever such a record is made, it's normally by a striker or a winger, not least of all by a midfielder. However, Gundogan is no ordinary midfielder and has made it a habit to step up in the big games.
His record-breaking goal notwithstanding, Gundogan bagged a second after the break, just five minutes into the restart to restore City's lead.
#3 Bruno Fernandes is the penalty king
With Cristiano Ronaldo long gone from the limelight of European football, Bruno Fernandes can truly claim to be the king of penalty now. He dispatched his 48th career spot-kick in the final.
In 53 total attempts, the Portuguese has missed only five. He really needed to score his penalty in this match, and made no mistake from 12 yards, sending Ortega the wrong way.
More broadly, it pulled Manchester United level into the game despite being second best to City until then. However, the Red Devils were level for only 18 minutes in the match, as the Sky Blues restored their lead in the 51st minute.
#2 Frustrating day for strikers
On days like these, teams rely on their forwards more than before to produce the goods. However, the FA Cup final saw strikers in both camps struggle to make an impact.
Erling Haaland, who struck a hat-trick against Manchester United in October, must have been licking his lips at the prospect of going against them again here. However, the Norwegian was relatively quiet.
He mustered two shots on target, but neither were strong enough to beat De Gea. The prolific striker also completed just about 10 passes all game. To his credit, though, Haaland was involved in City's first goal, looping the ball over for De Bruyne to make a headed pass for Gundogan to break the deadlock.
At the other end of the pitch, Marcus Rashford flattered to deceive too. The Manchester United hitman was largely isolated upfront. Devoid of proper service, he dropped back a few times to help create attacks, only for it to never come through.
He finished the match without mustering a single effort on target either, as Rashford endured a frustrating final.
#1 Manchester City one step away from treble
With the Premier League and the FA Cup now in the bag, Manchester City are just one game away from completing a historic treble.
The Sky Blues play Inter Milan in the Champions League final next Saturday, and winning the trophy would also mark their first in the competition.
Given their performance not just today, but all season, City have been a class apart. This is a well-oiled machine dripping with quality in every department and it will take something special from Inter to stop them.
