Erik ten Hag put speculation over his future to one side by leading Manchester United to FA Cup glory with a stunning 2-1 victory over Premier League champions Manchester City at Wembley.
Much of the build-up to the game had centred around Ten Hag’s future with reports on Friday suggesting United had decided to part company with the Dutchman regardless of the result in the showpiece final.
If it was to be his final match in charge, the United players gave him the ultimate send-off as first-half goals from Alejandro Garnacho, who pounced on a calamitous mix-up between Josko Gvardiol and Stefan Ortega, and Kobbie Mainoo left Pep Guardiola’s side stunned.
Manchester City tried to find a way back into the game in the second half, but Erling Haaland’s strike rattled the crossbar before Andre Onana twice kept out long-range efforts from Kyle Walker. However, Onana couldn’t keep out substitute Jeremy Doku’s strike as City pulled a goal back in the 87th minute to set up a grandstand finish.
The City fans roared as seven minutes of stoppage time were announced by the fourth official, but it was United fans celebrating at the sound of the full-time whistle as their side held on to stop their rivals from becoming the first side to secure back-to-back league and FA Cup doubles.
FA Cup glory sees United add a second piece of silverware under Ten Hag, following up their Carabao Cup win from last season. It also sees Manchester United put a disappointing league season behind them by sealing Europa League qualification, but the question remains as to whether Ten Hag will lead them into next season.
Meanwhile, when asked about his future after the game, Ten Hag said: “I don’t know. All I can do is prepare my team, develop my team, progress my team. This is a project. When I came in it was a mess, now we are better. But we are by far where we want to be.
“Football is about winning trophies. I want to play the best football. I want to play dynamic football. But you have to win games and trophies. That’s the mentality we’ve brought in. We only had one opportunity, the FA Cup and we did it. I’m so proud of the players and staff.”
