Against the backdrop of intense speculation that he is about to be fired, Ten Hag and United stunned defending champion
Receiving his medal from the future king of
Is it enough to save his job?
“I’m not satisfied with it, we have to do better, and if they don’t want me anymore then I go somewhere else to win trophies because that is what I did my whole career,” a defiant Ten Hag said. “We are constructing a team and when I took over it was a mess at Manchester United.”
First-half goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo set up the win. City piled the pressure on after the break and eventually pulled a late goal back through substitute
United’s owners were watching on from the executive seats at Wembley and have a decision to make.
“We are all very proud of the players and the staff who work tirelessly to support them,” new co-owner
The British billionaire bought a 27.7% stake in United in February and is overhauling the club. There’s widespread anticipation that Ten Hag will become the latest casualty of his revamp regardless of the cup final triumph.
That theory will be put to the test after this win, which deprived crosstown rival City of the first back-to-back English league and cup doubles and also saw United qualify for the
“My game plan was not good,” City manager
Ten Hag got his tactics spot on as United soaked up pressure and pounced to take control by the break.
Garnacho opened the scoring in the 30th minute, sparking panic in City’s defense when chasing onto a hopeful punt from
If that goal benefited from luck, United’s second nine minutes later came from a slick attack, with Garnacho at the heart of it again when cutting in from the right wing and playing in
The United captain hit a first-time no-look pass to Mainoo, who coolly slotted past Ortega.
The final was a repeat of last year’s which City won 2-1, and Pep Guardiola’s team did not give up its trophy without a fight. Doku’s long range shot in the 87th set up a nervy finish.
By that point
It is United’s 13th FA Cup, one behind Arsenal’s record of 14. And it is Ten Hag’s second trophy after winning the
Players and staff embraced him on the field after the final whistle and fans cheered rapturously as he went to collect the trophy in front of the co-owners, Americans Joel and
Victory, however, came after United’s worst league season in 34 years.
“It’s been a tough season with ups and downs. This is the only thing we’ve had to look forward to,” Mainoo said. “We knew we had to come together. The preparation for this game has been amazing. We’ve shown we can compete and win games.”
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