Behind Manchester United’s 13th FA Cup triumph: Centre backs Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane halt City’s march as Haaland’s poor run in finals continues

It looked implausible on paper but sports is known for conjuring up fairy tales that the world remembers for ages to come. The same happened on Saturday when underdogs Manchester United stunned the mighty Manchester City in a match which looked like the two teams had swapped souls in a Freaky Friday-esque twist with the Red Devils looking more dominant than their city rivals.

Perhaps as a parting gift to manager Erik Ten Hag, whose fate hangs in the balance at Old Trafford or if you look at it as a cynic, an audition for the new manager coming in, the United players produced one of their best performances in a season where they have been pretty sub-par, finishing 8th in the Premier League.

In a competition where United resembled the team of yore with lightning fast counter attacks and comeback victories, the 4-3 win against Liverpool in the quarterfinals comes to mind, Ten Hag showed a glimpse of what he was capable of with a fully fit squad available at his disposal.

In a season ravaged with injuries, Ten Hag finally had his preferred centre-back pairing of Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane available together for the Cup final and that made all the difference. Having the Argentinian back in defence allowed United to play with a low block which often choked City in the attack. Even if they managed to play the ball behind the defence, the presence of both CB’s ensured that City wouldn’t get a clear shot or the obvious space that they have so adeptly created all season long. It speaks a lot about Martinez and his impact in the heart of United’s defence, that the team conceded as soon as he left the pitch with Jeremy Doku’s low shot beating Andre Onana at his near post.

Manchester United’s Kobbie Mainoo celebrates scoring their second goal with teammates. (Reuters)

Another tweak that the Dutch coach made was to drop Rasmus Hojlund and use captain Bruno Fernandes as a false 9. The role suited the Portuguese talisman to a tee with Fernandes dropping in and out of attack while shoring up the midfield, keeping the ever-impressive Rodri quiet. His presence in the attack was also crucial when he bamboozled the City defence and played a disguised pass to Kobbie Mainoo for the second goal. Getting the ball from Alejandro Garnacho in shooting position, Fernandes looked to have miss-kicked with the ball falling kindly for Mainoo to score. But on closer inspection, the genius of the side-footed pass becomes apparent.

Even though United were on top form here, City looked like a team that was exhausted beyond belief. After a grueling season where they won the Premier League title for the 4th year running, the players in blue looked bereft of inspiration. They showed glimpses of the team they were throughout the season but a range of missed passes and missed opportunities that they would in normal circumstances, pull off with their eyes closed, handed United the initiative.

Julian Alvarez and Erling Haaland came very close to breaking United’s hearts but the Norwegian giant’s lean run in huge matches continued with the player having played in 9 semi-finals and final for City and failing to score in each one. The always reliant City midfield consisting of Kevin de Bruyne and Phil Foden also had a forgettable match with the Belgian showing his age with each passing season.

Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot celebrate after winning the penalty shootout. (Reuters)

Manchester United’s Scott McTominay celebrates with the trophy and teammates after winning the FA Cup (Reuters)

With United overloading the wings with pacey players like Garnacho and Marcus Rashford, the City defence, especially Josko Gvardiol who was playing right back in a fish out of water position, struggled to deal with the 19-year-old Argentinian with his mistake leading to the first goal for United.

But credit where credit is due for United and Ten Hag whose tactics of letting City dominate the possession and then hurting them on the counter attack played like a symphony as the players in red looked to really be “United” in the middle of the pitch for what felt like after ages.

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