In a stunning turn of events, Ilkay Gundogan of Manchester City scored the fastest goal in FA Cup final history against Manchester United. Just 12 seconds into the game, Gundogan pounced on a loose ball and fired a scorcher past David de Gea to give City an early lead. The previous record was held by Louis Saha, who scored 25 seconds into Everton’s 2-1 defeat against Chelsea in the 2009 final. Gundogan went on to score a second goal as City won the final 2-1.
The goal came after a move totalling only six touches, with Stefan Ortega passing the ball back to Gundogan, who was in the right place at the right time to take advantage of Victor Lindelof’s weak header. The early opener sent City fans into raptures at Wembley, with Pep Guardiola celebrating on the bench. In contrast, Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag was left in a sombre mood as his game plan was undone in just 12 seconds.
Despite United’s efforts to keep a free-scoring City at bay, things almost got worse for them in the third minute when Rodri’s header glanced past their post. Erling Haaland also went close with a strong strike 13 minutes later. However, United managed to get a foothold in the game and equalised shortly after the 30-minute mark. Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s header was clipped by Jack Grealish’s fingertips in the penalty area, and after a quick VAR check, Paul Tierney pointed to the spot. Bruno Fernandes calmly rolled home the equaliser from 12 yards.