Manchester City and Manchester United are set to add another page to their storied rivalry when the two sides meet on Saturday at the Wembley Stadium in the FA Community Shield final.
This will be the 194th time the neighbours meet, but one need not turn the pages of the history book far back to see what happened the last time they met.
It was May 25, 2024. The FA Cup final.
One one side, Pep Guardiola had just led the Cityzens to a historic fourth-consecutive English Premier League title - the only side from England’s top tier to achieve the feat. On the other, Erik Ten Hag had just led the Red Devils to their lowest-finish ever on the points table. United had finished eighth.
A buoyant City was the favourite to paint Manchester blue while talks of Ten Hag getting the boot were doing the rounds, irrespective of the result. However, riding on some very young shoulders, Ten Hag affirmed that Manchester could still be very much red.
Teenage sensations Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo stepped up with goals to give United its 13th title, that perhaps, played a big role in handing a contract extension to the Dutch manager.
It was an unlikely mistake from City’s backline in the 30th minute that gifted United the lead. Dalot, who was playing in the left-bac position, played a long ball, searching for Garnacho’s run.
The then 19-year-old Argentine, who recently won the Copa America with the La Albiceleste, had Josko Gvardiol to wrestle with for the ball. Unwitting, the defender, with a slight shoulder push to the United forward, headed the ball in search for his goalkeeper, Stefan Ortega. Unfortunately for City, the German was already off his line.
The ball went over the reach of Ederson and into the path of Garnacho, who side-footed the ball into the net.
Within the next 10 minutes, United doubled its lead.
Marcus Rashford pinged a ball over to the right channel to find Garnacho. Arriving at the box was Portuguese Bruno Fernandes, who quickly scanned his surroundings before receiving the ball from the winger.
With a touch, Fernandes found Kobbie Mainoo, who ended the Euro campaign as runners up with England. Mainoo then curled the ball into the net, past a kneeling down Ortega who couldn’t do much to stop the attempt.
Erling Haaland came close to scoring when Jeremy Doku found the Norwegian after dancing past Sofyan Amrabat and needling a pass through a host of red shirts inside the box. Receiving the ball behind him, Haaland had come to take a few steps back, but he managed to get a thunderous shot away only to rattle the upright. Andre Onana could only watch all this unfold.
A sliver of hope was shown to the City fans when in the 87th minute, Doku left Garnacho in his wake and beat Onana at the near post with a shot from just outside the box. But, the scoreline remained 2-1 in United’s favour at the full time whistle.
With a new season approaching, either side would love to kick it off by clinching the bragging rights of this upcoming derby.
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