Captain Ilkay Gundogan bagged a stunning brace as Premier League winners Manchester City clinched the FA Cup to complete a domestic double.
Gundogan struck two volleys either side of Bruno Fernandes’ first-half penalty as City beat local rivals Manchester United 2-1 at Wembley on Saturday.
The German midfielder kicked off the match and opened the scoring 12 seconds later to rock Erik ten Hag’s Red Devils with the earliest ever goal in an FA Cup final.
United lose out in the #FACup final.#MUFC
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) June 3, 2023
His pass back to goalkeeper Stefan Ortega was hit long to Erling Haaland, whose knockdown fell to Kevin de Bruyne and he found Gundogan on the edge of the penalty area and the skipper lashed a volley past a static David de Gea.
The skipper sealing our seventh FA Cup! 👊@IlkayGuendogan 🎱 pic.twitter.com/it9xIejKlg
— Manchester City (@ManCity) June 4, 2023
Gundogan says of the goal: “We aimed for that, to go long for Erling and then to get the second ball and try to attack quick.
“I guess for the first time this season we’ve scored, the ball was just placed amazingly for me, and I just had to hit it.”
United managed to stay in the game and got a bietjie geluk when referee Paul Tierney gave the Red Devils the chance to equalise in the 33rd minute from the spot after Jack Grealish’s handball was deemed a penalty offence after a VAR check.
0️⃣0️⃣:1️⃣2️⃣@IlkayGuendogan with the fastest goal in FA Cup final history! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/V7L2g9HdXU
— Manchester City (@ManCity) June 4, 2023
But Gundogan got City back in front in the 51st minute with a left-footed volley from a De Bruyne freekick - his strike evading United defenders and beating an unsighted De Gea.
United boss Ten Hag defended his Spanish goalkeeper, saying: “We win together, we lose together. There were two moments, there were dead balls - one at kickoff and one from a wide freekick. They can't be a goal. We have to be better organised there.”