MATCH REPORT AND PLAYER RATINGS - MANCHESTER CITY 2-1 MANCHESTER UNITED - THE BLUES LIFT THE FA CUP!

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2 goals from club captain Ilkay Gundogan saw Manchester City beat local rivals Manchester United in a fiercely competitive derby, to seal City's second FA Cup trophy under Pep Guardiola.

City got off to the absolute best possible start, as a long ball forward from impressive backup goalkeeper Stefan Ortega-Moreno was nodded forward by Erling Haaland. Fellow Scandinavian Victor Lindelof met Haaland's flick on with a defensive header, but it only fell to Gundogan, who unleashed an unstoppable volley from the edge of the box, screaming past the stranded David de Gea and into the top right corner.

All this came within the first 12 seconds of the match, making it the earliest ever goal in an FA Cup final. One half of Wembley erupted, whilst the other sat there in stunned silence. City looked to capitalise on a fast start, with defensive midfielder Rodri heading narrowly wide of the post.

United responded well to the goal, however, limiting City's attacking threat, whilst having a fair bit of possession themselves. But, it was City that still looked a threat in the game, with the best chance coming as Haaland wasn't quite able to make proper contact with Gundogan's cross, sliding along the ground in a similar way to his second goal against the Red Devils at the Etihad Stadium earlier this season.

Erik Ten Hag's side equalised in controversial circumstances, as Aaron Wan-Bissaka's back post header across goal appeared to flick the fingers of Jack Grealish inside the penalty area, meaning, after a VAR check, United had a penalty.

Bruno Fernandes kept his composure from the penalty spot to send Ortega-Moreno the wrong way and equalise for Ten Hag's side. The footballing world has deemed the penalty to be the wrong decision, and there is a similar feeling surrounding the penalty City were denied minutes later, as it seemed for all the world that Brazilian midfielder Fred brought Kevin de Bruyne down just moments before he was about to strike at goal.

City responded well after the break, looking more of a threat going forwards, and were rewarded as De Bruyne's floated ball towards the edge of the penalty area was volleyed home by Ilkay Gundogan yet again, this time with his left foot, with De Gea being able to get a hand on it, but unable to keep it out.

United had a few half chances after that, with Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford both coming very close to equalising for the Red Devils. But, ultimately, City held firm, and the introduction of Phil Foden, Nathan Ake and Aymeric Laporte from the substitutes bench helped City to control the closing stages of the match.

It's mad to think that United's biggest game in the last 10 years isn't even City's biggest game this week, as the Blues can seal the final by beating Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League Final next week, just showing the change in fortunes surrounding these two teams since the Red Devils won the treble in 1999.

It wasn't City's best performance this season: they were much more impressive in their victories against Arsenal, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich in recent weeks.

But, United arguably put up a better showing than any of those 3 teams, so it can be viewed as a success for City that they were able to win against a tough side, in a local derby, in a cup final, with the treble on the line and all whilst not playing at their fluid, free flowing best.

Here are the player ratings for City's 7th FA Cup final victory:

Ortega-Moreno - 7.5/10 - The 30 year old German showed the true qualities of a top class goalkeeper to win City the FA Cup. Having very little to do all day, Ortega-Moreno did very well right at the end to control his penalty area and smother a shot in the six yard box, to prevent the game from going to extra time.

Walker - 8/10 - Gave former City academy player Jadon Sancho absolutely nothing down the left hand side all game, using his pace and intelligence when defending to completely nullify his threat. Marked down by 0.5 as he slightly struggled against the more direct threat of Garnacho in the Argentine's fairly brief cameo on the pitch.

Stones - 9.5/10 - A near perfect performance from the 29 year old, who dominated the midfield from central defence. Super calm and composed under pressure, Stones looked faultless all game, and, if it weren't for the excellent all around performance from a certain German, he'd have certainly been my man of the match.

Dias - 7.5/10 A typically solid performance from Dias, showing his excellent communication and leadership skills. However, unlike the other defenders, City's number 3 didn't have a standout performance.

Akanji - 8/10 - Made a few excellent, aggressive interceptions. For a man who has played centre back his whole career, he has taken to playing at fullback, a complicated role in a Pep Guardiola team, like a duck to water.

Rodri - 8.5/10 - A brilliant performance from Rodri, buzzing around the pitch to put out all the fires and help City keep possession. However, he looked absolutely exhausted towards the end of the game. Hopefully, he will keep it in the back of his mind that he has just one more game, before he can have a long, well deserved rest.

De Bruyne - 7.5/10 - Had a bit of a mixed performance, with some moments of pure quality, and some moments of mediocrity. However, he had an overall good effect on the game, and got an excellent assist for Gundogan's second goal.

Gundogan - 9.5/10 - Absolutely sensational performance for City's skipper. With two goals of the absolute highest quality, the 32 year old showed once again why he is a player for the big moments, and why City should break the bank to tie him down to a new contract this summer.

Bernardo - 6.5/10 - In the first half, Bernardo had a very small impact on the game, struggling to get the better of the admittedly impressive Luke Shaw. In the second half, there was an improvement, as he seemed to be playing almost as a right back, with Kyle Walker playing narrower in defence and John Stones higher up in midfield.

Haaland - 7.5/10 - Led the line excellently, and was a constant threat holding the ball up and running in behind. He should arguably have scored however, and his run of 1 goal in 7 games is well below the standards he has set himself this season. Expect the Norwegian to be hungrier than ever before to score in the UEFA Champions League Final against Inter.

Grealish - 6.5/10 - His first half performance was very quiet, as his attacking threat was limited by Aaron Wan-Bissaka. In the second half, he grew into the game, and played a few excellently weighted through balls to Gundogan on the underlap.

Substitutes: Foden - 7/10 - Had a few touches of the highest quality, and worked well with Haaland to keep the ball in the corner flag at the end of the game.

Ake - Not enough time to rank.

Laporte - Not enough time to rank.