The final was contested between holders Manchester City and local rivalsManchester United. The match was a repeat of the previous final, which City won 2–1.[3] It was the second time the two sides have met in the final, and was the first to feature the same teams in consecutive seasons since 1885.
Manchester United won the match for their 13th FA Cup title, avenging their defeat by the same scoreline in the previous season. As winners, Manchester United qualified for the league phase of the 2024–25 UEFA Europa League. They also qualified for the 2024 FA Community Shield, where they faced City as the league champions. As their women's team won the 2024 Women's FA Cup final, Manchester United became the fifth club, and the first since City in 2019, to win both the men's and women's FA Cup in the same season.[4]
In the quarter-final match, Manchester City hosted Newcastle United at the Etihad Stadium where they came out 2–0 winners in the end which put them through to the semi-finals with two goals for City from Bernardo Silva.[8] In the semi-final match, held at the neutral venue of Wembley Stadium, Manchester City defeated Chelsea in a 1–0 victory to qualify for a second consecutive FA Cup final with the sole goal for City from Silva.[9] This was the third time that City played in consecutive FA Cup finals, having previously done so in the 1933 and 1934 as well as 1955 and 1956 finals.
In the semi-final match, also held at Wembley, United defeated Coventry City 4–2 on penalties after a 3–3 draw, during which they squandered a 3–0 lead, to set up a Manchester derby final for a second successive season. Dalot, Christian Eriksen, Fernandes and Højlund all scored their penalties with only Casemiro missing for United; Haji Wright – who scored Coventry's third goal – and Victor Torp scored for Coventry with Callum O'Hare – scorer of Coventry's second goal – and Ben Sheaf missing for Coventry.[14] This was the sixth time that United had played in two successive FA Cup finals and the first time since 2004 and 2005.
Pre-match
The Football Association confirmed that the 2024 final would begin at 15:00, the same time as the previous FA Cup final did, as agreed by the Metropolitan Police.[15] Prior to the match, considerable attention was focused on the future of Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag, as his side finished 8th in the Premier League, the club's lowest position since its formation in 1992. Reports indicated that the club had decided to sack him regardless of the final result.[16][17][18]
Manchester City were considered as heavy favourites to win the match by the English media; having clinched a record-breaking fourth successive Premier League title the previous week.[citation needed], a win would make them the first team to win a league and cup double in successive season and would also make them the first team to retain the FA Cup since Arsenal in 2015.[citation needed] City had beaten United in both league fixtures between them, winning 3–0 at Old Trafford[citation needed] and 3–1 at the Etihad Stadium.[citation needed] Meanwhile, a win for United would secure European football, having failed to qualify due to their league position.
The match kicked off at 15:00 in front of 84,814 fans. Marcus Rashford was through on goal immediately, but Kyle Walker managed to beat the United forward to the ball. Manchester City then attacked, and Lisandro Martínez made contact with Erling Haaland in the penalty area. City appealed for a penalty, but the appeal was dismissed by the referee. Six minutes later, Bruno Fernandes found Alejandro Garnacho on the right-hand side of the penalty area, before his shot was saved comfortably by Stefan Ortega. In the 30th minute, Garnacho opened the scoring for United after a mistake at the back as Joško Gvardiol looked to head a deep pass from Diogo Dalot back to Ortega, who had come off his line too far, which enabled the United forward to pass it into an empty net. United had the ball in the back of the net again as Garnacho teed up Rashford, who guided the ball at the back post, but it did not count and the assistant referee had his flag up. In the 39th minute, Rashford played a ball over the top to Garnacho on the right-hand side, who picked out Fernandes in the centre, and the United captain played a first-time pass to Kobbie Mainoo who burst into the penalty area and scored to double United's lead.[23]
In the 55th minute, substitute Jérémy Doku played a pass into the penalty area which fell to Haaland, who struck the ball off the crossbar. City continued their pressure, with Walker's effort from outside the penalty area being saved by André Onana. City came close again, as substitute Julián Álvarez scuffed his effort wide after a one-on-one against Onana. With three minutes to play, Doku received the ball on the left-hand side and shifted it onto his right before shooting towards the bottom corner from just outside the penalty area into the bottom left-hand corner of the net to pull one back. However, United held on after seven minutes of stoppage time and the match ended 2–1 in their favour.[23]
After the match, Erik ten Hag was questioned about his future, to which he replied: "I don't think about this. I'm in a project and we are exactly where we want to be."[28] He also addressed criticism of him and his team this season: “We didn’t have the players. We (he and the critics) have seen the same things. There was not always good football, definitely not, but we had to make, all the time, compromises. Then you can’t play the football you want to play."[29] Pundit and former United midfielder Roy Keane suggested: "The manager has done his job today. Beating Man City in an FA Cup final is an extra bonus. Fingers crossed they support the manager."[28] Following weeks of speculation, reports emerged that Ten Hag would remain at United and that he was in talks with the club to sign a new deal. On 4 July, United announced that they had extended his contract until the 2025–26 season.[30] However, three months later, on 28 October, Ten Hag was sacked after a 2–1 defeat to West Ham United which the club fall to 14th after nine games.[citation needed]
With his team's victory, Ten Hag became the first manager to beat Pep Guardiola's Manchester City in a major domestic cup final.[31] Having finished eighth in the 2023–24 Premier League, United also became the lowest ranked team to win the FA Cup since Arsenal under Mikel Arteta in 2019–20, when they also finished eighth. United goalscorer and man of the match Kobbie Mainoo praised the togetherness at the end of a tough season, adding his goal was "an amazing moment". He and teammate Alejandro Garnacho became the first teenagers to score in an FA Cup final since Cristiano Ronaldo for United in 2004. This was also City midfielder Rodri's first club defeat since February 2023 against Tottenham Hotspur, ending his 74-game unbeaten streak across all competitions.[32] City manager Guardiola commented that his game plan was not good: "The players know the reason why. Tactically it wasn't good. You plan for a game and different positions, but it didn't work."[28]
As winners, United qualified for the 2024–25 UEFA Europa League league phase and the 2024 FA Community Shield, where they faced City as the league champions.[16] United earned £2million in prize money, runners-up City earned £1million.[15]
Notes
^Each team was given only three opportunities to make substitutions, with a fourth opportunity in extra time, excluding substitutions made at half-time, before the start of extra time and at half-time in extra time.
