FA Cup Final: Manchester United aims to rewrite history as Manchester City chases a treble

When Manchester City defeated Manchester United at Wembley twelve years ago, it marked the beginning of a fundamental change in English football. Now, a revitalized United will put City’s own triple attempt in jeopardy in the FA Cup final on Saturday.

City is two wins away from becoming only the second English club—after United in 1999—to win the English crown, the Champions League, and the FA Cup in the same season, with the Premier League secured for a third straight year.

When they last faced off in the FA Cup at Wembley in the 2011 semifinals, City’s current success and United’s position as potential rivals would have been unthinkable.

After the match at the national stadium, United won the Premier League for the fourth time in five years and advanced to the Champions League final within a short period of time.

City were still wounded by decades of dysfunction and they arrived at Wembley in the middle of a trophy drought that had become embarrassing, in striking contrast to United’s golden period under manager Alex Ferguson.

Because of United’s domination over their neighbors, supporters at Old Trafford slyly erected a banner in the Stretford End that listed the number of years since City’s previous trophy win.

The number on the flag reached 35 by 2011 to the utter dismay of Manchester’s blue side.

However, City had already made a statement of purpose as they departed Wembley on a gloomy April day, making that mocking banner obsolete very quickly.

An important turning point in English football was appropriately staged at the first Manchester derby to be played at Wembley.

Since Sheikh Mansour’s Abu Dhabi-based company acquired City in 2008, their massive expenditures on new players have been the topic of the Premier League.

When he referred to their opponents as “noisy neighbors” in 2009, Ferguson had dismissively dismissed claims that City posed a danger to United.

However, City was maturing under manager Roberto Mancini, and the FA Cup semifinal marked their turning point.

Yaya Toure, one of City’s costliest signings, scored the game’s lone goal seven minutes after halftime after United had wasted many opportunities.

In a single stroke, the defeatism that had afflicted City for so long was eliminated.

‘A genuine tipping moment’

Joleon Lescott, a center defender, was a part of the defense that held United at bay and he remembers the encounter as a turning point for both teams.

For us as players and supporters, as well as for United, “that FA Cup semi-final was a real shift in belief as a club,” Lescott said.

“They saw our danger as being genuine. That really marked a turning point. It gave us a lot of momentum.

City would go on to defeat Stoke in the FA Cup final, putting an end to United’s trophy curse and paving the way for the beginning of a blue dynasty in Manchester.

The next season, Mancini’s team destroyed United 6-1 at Old Trafford and won the championship at the cost of their rivals courtesy to Sergio Aguero’s iconic late strike against QPR on the last day.

“We were so loud that we weren’t just the annoying neighbors anymore!” A member of the championship-winning squad, Nigel De Jong, stated.

Since defeating United in the 2011 semifinal, City has won 15 major trophies, including seven Premier Leagues. Pep Guardiola joined the team and has guided them to new heights, winning five of their past six championships.

Only six major championships have been won by United over that time, with their most recent triumph being in 2013, Ferguson’s last campaign.

Nevertheless, a comeback could be in the works after United manager Erik ten Hag broke the team’s six-year trophy drought this year.

Beating the champions in the first all-Manchester FA Cup final would be an even more momentous milestone than winning the League Cup and placing third in the Premier League.

Despite the fact that we are playing against perhaps the finest squad in the world right now, there is still a possibility. Ten Hag remarked, “We have to sacrifice all.

And United supporters may dare to dream of replicating the City surge that began with an unexpected win at Wembley more than ten years ago, as their club seems to be on the approach of being purchased by a rich new owner.