Downing United has put Man City on the brink of being considered among the game’s greatest sides
JACK GAUGHAN: This was the one final they were most worried about… knocking down their closest rivals has put Man City on the brink of the Treble and a place amongst the greats of the game
When Jack Grealish took his leave, with only seconds left until stoppage time, he did so on the other side of Wembley.
Running behind the goal for the Manchester City supporters, there was the chance of an early victory lap for the real later on.
But this was not the day for either of them. It was cramped and often stuffy, this FA Cup final. Somehow Manchester United was in it to death.
Grealish didn’t get a chance to applaud for long, as the western end of this terrain clung together as one, largely ignoring him and standing on the grass.
He actually stopped behind the net himself when City gave away a cheap ball and United threatened the break, flinching for a moment. That whole section, including their £100 million supersigning, froze.
The FA Cup final felt on the cutting edge until Erling Haaland ended the match through the corner flag
Victory over Man United in the FA Cup final was seen as City’s toughest test in their Treble bid
This was the one they were most concerned about. United with their own legacy at stake, crashing the party.
Until Erling Haaland finished off perfectly by messing about wasting time in the corner flag, it felt on the cutting edge, with one slip putting United back in and taking it into extra time.
City’s instinctive joy at the players’ whistle, which seemed to come out of the Nobby Stiles playbook in a way, told that story.
“One more, one more,” Haaland shouted to his teammates. And only Inter Milan stands in their way now, stands in the way of history and this team – this manager – deserves to be recognized as one of the very best ever. A place in the pantheon of names, a list that is not very long.
Lifting the FA Cup has now given Man City a very representative chance to secure a Treble
“They’re things you dream about when you’re a little kid,” Grealish said. “The best thing about this team is that we have a mix of everything. Everyone is confident, we have older more experienced guys and the younger guys are learning too.
“Have a good night tonight and then we’ll go straight back to it on Sunday and Monday for a big game next week.”
A big one, but not the hardest. That was this. United may not have had the power in attack that really scared their closest rivals, but they had staying power here, holding on, and that was enough to give the final a feeling of jitters.
Tactically, Inter won’t be too different in Istanbul, but City should be freer, unconstrained by local emotion. Frankly, there will never be a greater chance of winning a Treble.
