Manchester United delivered their best performance of a challenging season by defeating Manchester City 2-1 in the FA Cup final yesterday.

This victory, in their record 22nd FA Cup final, secured the trophy for the 13th time in the club’s history. Teenagers Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo scored crucial goals in the first half at Wembley, putting United in a strong position.

Despite a second-half goal by City’s Jeremy Doku, United held on to avoid consecutive defeats to their rivals in the final.

Garnacho and Mainoo joined an elite group of teenagers who have scored in an FA Cup final at Wembley, following in the footsteps of former United star Cristiano Ronaldo, who achieved the feat in 2004. Winning the FA Cup grants Manchester United automatic qualification for the Europa League next season.

This means Chelsea, who finished sixth in the Premier League, will play in the Europa Conference League, and Newcastle, who finished seventh, will miss out on European competition.

The triumph marks a positive end to a difficult season for United, raising questions about whether the win will be enough to secure Erik ten Hag’s position as head coach. Despite the FA Cup success, United finished eighth in the Premier League, their lowest position in the club’s history.