Manchester United were unable to stop Manchester City’s march towards matching their treble of 1999 after losing 2-1 to Pep Guardiola’s side at a sun drenched Wembley Stadium

Man United equalised through Bruno Fernandes, but were unable to find a second after Ilkay Gundogan’s goal (Image: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Manchester City’s quest to match the historic 1999 treble of Manchester United continues as Pep Guardiola’s side dispatched their arch rivals 2-1 to win the FA Cup.

It took Man City just 13 seconds to take the lead against Erik ten Hag’s side with Ilkay Gundogan scoring a sensational volley to send the blue half of Manchester into rapturous scenes.

A Bruno Fernandes penalty levelled things in the first half when VAR spotted a Jack Grealish handball – meaning the score was level at half-time.

However, after the break, Man City were the better of the two teams, taking the lead again through Gundogan on 51 minutes.

While Man United had chances to equalise, which included an injury time goalmouth scramble, they were unable to find their second to take the game to extra-time.

And with that in mind, here are three things Man United boss Erik ten Hag got wrong as Man City’s march towards the treble continues…

Conceding early

(Image: Getty Images)

It might be a bit harsh to criticise Man United and Erik ten Hag for conceding a stunning strike after just 13 seconds to Ilkay Gundogan.

However, the early goal altered the game from the off.

There’s no doubt that having to start the game 1-0 down after just four Man City touches – one of which was Gundogan’s pass back to Stefan Ortega – would be mentally draining for any side.

While they did manage to come back into the contest thanks to Fernandes’ penalty, ten Hag’s side never really threatened during the rest of the first half.

Gundogan and Stones unmarked

(Image: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

The second half saw Man City push the pace, taking the game to their arch rivals from the off.

And after going in at half-time, Guardiola and co managed to regain the lead on 51 minutes thanks to Gundogan again, who netted another goal from outside the box through a sea of bodies, his strike evading the clasp of De Gea once again.

The German international was left completely unmarked on the edge of the Man United box, giving him the freedom of Wembley to take his shot on.

One of the turning points in Man City’s season this term has been the decision by Guardiola to move John Stones into midfield.

With Fred and Casemiro so focussed upon marking Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne, that left Stones as the free man to drive forward, causing Man United all sorts of problems.

And his impressive shift at Wembley left ex-Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher impressed, with Sky Sports pundit writing on Twitter: “John Stones’s performance so far has been wow! What a player he has become.”

Lack of quality and failure to take chances

(Image: PA)

Ultimately, Man United have had a successful season despite the FA Cup final defeat.

They won the League Cup, defeating Newcastle United comfortably 2-0, reached the final of another cup competition and qualified for the Champions League, a year after finishing sixth in the Premier League.

However, one thing that must be addressed this summer is the quality of Man United’s squad.

Off the bench, Man United brought on Wout Weghorst, Scott McTominay and Alejandro Garnacho. While Garnacho was bright, it was still a reminder of how far behind Man City in terms of quality ten Hag’s squad is.

Additionally, in the second half, when Man United did create chances, they failed to take them. Marcus Rashford fired over the bar on 69 minutes and Garnacho pushed his effort wide on 72 minutes.

Come the final whistle, ten Hag and co had managed just one shot on target – which came through Fernandes’ penalty.

Source: dailystar