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Pep Guardiola tactically outsmarted Erik ten Hag as Manchester City defeated their cross-city neighbors Manchester United 2-1 to lift the FA Cup trophy and keep their treble hopes alive.
While United boss Erik ten Hag went to great lengths to refute the narrative of his men stopping City, for several fans of the Old Trafford persuasion, remaining the only English team to win the treble was motivation enough.
Man City vs Man United: Inspirational Gundogan leads Citizens to FA Cup glory
Pep Guardiola as he often does, got this one right tactically and we look at 3 things he did to secure the win.
1. Utilise the direct option to Haaland
City, known for their one-touch tiki taka football, have mixed things up this season with the addition of Erling Haaland. The Norwegian now offers an option to go long and beat the press.
He was crucial to City’s opening goal, flicking a header on that ultimately resulted in Ilkay Gundogan’s stunning volley.
2. Block off United’s transitions
Guardiola stuck to his 3 man defence, making sure Kyle Walker and Manuel Akanji hardly ventured forward and this ensured there was no room for United’s runners to catch City on the counter. Marcus Rashford in particular had a poor game.
3. John Stones in midfield
Gundogan scored the two crucial goals to win City the game but this performance from John Stones was one for the ages.
He was arguably the best player on the pitch. Cool, composed, and elegant in possession, rarely putting a foot wrong as well as being capable defensively.
He was difficult to pick up and caused the Red Devils midfield alll kinda of problems throughout, contributing massively to Man City’s victory.
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