Manchester City defeated Man City won the FA Cup final at Wembley, and Pep Guardiola acknowledged that they can “now talk about the treble” after the victory.
Man City has recently dominated in the Premier League and Carabao Cup, but they haven’t recently won the FA Cup. They hadn’t raised the storied trophy since the conclusion of the 2018–19 season until this one.
But after taking the lead after just 13 seconds, Guardiola’s team was fast on track to defeat Manchester United in the Wembley final on Saturday.
Stefan Ortega took a long kick, and after the ball came to Ilkay Gundogan, the midfielder stunningly volleyed the ball past David De Gea to make it 1-0.
Bruno Fernandes’ penalty-kick goal for Man Utd brought them back into the game around the halfway point, but a second volley from Gundogan after the break gave City the victory they deserved, 2-1.
Next Saturday, when they play Inter Milan in the Champions League final, the Premier League champions will have the opportunity to clinch the treble.
Following the game, Guardiola singled out John Stones as a “incredible player” and praised him together with Gundogan.
“At this point, we can discuss the treble. We must still prevail in the Champions League, of course. For our city and our supporters, we gave such a great performance, Guardiola remarked on BBC One.
We weren’t expecting them to defend so tightly because they follow each other so closely. In the second period, we discovered extra room.
“They can take off tomorrow and the following day. Then, we have three or four training sessions to prepare for Inter Milan. After training on Thursday morning, we’ll depart.
“Today, it was very crucial for us. I love the FA Cup so much. I support Barcelona, and I will continue to support this team for the rest of my life. I am aware that we today offered our supporters a great present to enjoy versus our neighbours.
What a season he has had, Gundogan. He has the mentality in addition to the skills. He handles the pressure well and plays the big games like they are friendly matches.
Incredible player, that’s John Stones. He’s been playing so well recently and has given me the chance to play this particular method. The guys were all outstanding.
Stones is capable of passing the ball and can move into attacking areas to take control of the game.
In contrast, Jack Grealish believes that current Man City team’s “best thing” is that they “have a mix of everything.”
“Unbelievable. It’s the kind of thing young children dream of. I was so motivated to win one at Villa, and I finally did it,” Grealish said.
“I don’t even believe it’s a fine. I turned without even looking at it, and when it hit my arm, Gundogan intervened to save me.
“We have a mix of everything, which is the finest thing about this team. Everyone is confident, and both the younger and more inexperienced boys are learning.
We’ll enjoy ourselves tonight, and then we’ll get right back to work on Sunday and Monday in preparation for a big game next week.