MANCHESTER UNITED ENDS SEASON ON A HIGH, SHOCKS MANCHESTER CITY TO CLINCH FA CUP @ WEMBLEY

By Olopade Sakiru

It was jubilation galore  for Manchester United fans after the Red Devils ended the poor run of the season with a stunning victory against their arch rivals and premier league champions, Manchester City in the final of the FA CUP by 2-1.

Erik Ten Hag puts aside speculation over his future at Old Trafford, leading United to a second trophy, after winning Carabao cup last season as United manager.

First half goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Maino were all Manchester United needed to win the 13th FA CUP in their history.

The premier league champions were smoking in the opening minutes of the epic final with an appeal for penalty waved away after Erling Haaland fell in the vital area from Lisandro Martinez's challenge.

The Red Devils, settled down well into the game after surviving early threat, with Marcus Rashford mesmerizing until in the 30th minute when Alejandro Garnacho, capitalizing on a defensive mix-up between Josko Gvardiol and Stefan Ortega to tap into an empty net for the first goal of the encounter.

Kobbie Maino made it two goals in the 39th minute to send United fans into a wild jubilation.

The teenager, converted beautifully, after a superb cross from Marcus Rashford found Garnacho who wasted no time in passing the ball to Bruno Fernandes who laid a nice pass for a great finish by Maino to the admiration of the fans.

However, Manchester City responded well in the second half with the early introduction of Akanji and Doku , terrorizing United's defense but Andre Onana was outstanding stopping Kyle Walker's long range strike twice after Erling Haaland had struck the crossbar earlier.

In the 87th minute, the substitute, Jeremy Doku's strike hit the back of the net as City pulled a goal back but not enough to change the tide of the game.

With the victory, Manchester United has sealed qualification for the UEFA Europa League next season, pushing Chelsea to the Conference league while Newscaster is out of European football next season.