The story of a cup final from 2013 that still sends shivers down the spines of the City fans who witnessed it…
Words: David Clayton
Just 12 months on from City’s incredible Premier League title win, the Blues were back at Wembley for a second FA Cup final in three years.
It had been a season of highs and lows.
City were unbeaten in the Premier League until 9 December, winning nine and drawing six times before taking on a rejuvenated Manchester United at the Etihad.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s men had used the pain of losing the title in added time to City the previous campaign and were determined to reclaim the Premier League crown.
We went into the game on the back of a disappointing Champions League group phase, having failed to win any of the six matches we played, drawing three and losing three.
United took at 2-0 first-half lead against City, who fought back to 2-2 with goals from Yaya Toure and Pablo Zabaleta, only to concede a Robin van Persie free-kick deep into added time.
The high the Blues had been on for pretty much 18 months was replaced by deflation, though it perhaps shouldn’t have.
City won six of the next seven Premier League matches to keep the pressure on leaders United, but the Reds were relentless and the gap at the top widened when the Blues took just two points from the next nine, including a woeful 3-1 loss at Southampton that gave our neighbours the chance to go 12 points clear with 12 games left.
"More than 85,000 would see goals from Samir Nasri and Sergio Aguero secure a 2-1 victory over Chelsea in the semi-final, with Wigan Athletic beating Millwall the day before"
A successful defence of our crown became evermore unlikely, but the FA Cup offered a chance to salvage something. More than something.
Roberto Mancini’s side had glided through the rounds, seeing off Watford, Stoke City, Leeds United and Barnsley without conceding a goal before facing Chelsea in the semi-final at Wembley.
Prior to that game, City had gone to Old Trafford and beaten United 2-1, but that only reduced a 15-point gap to 12 – there were still seven games remaining, but Mancini had already publicly accepted the title was heading across Manchester.
More than 85,000 would see goals from Samir Nasri and Sergio Aguero secure a 2-1 victory over Chelsea in the semi-final, with Wigan Athletic beating Millwall the day before – the police in London must have signed a relief that it would be an all Greater Manchester final and not Chelsea v Millwall!