Manchester City were beaten by Manchester United in the FA Cup final last season, and it's been claimed that they did themselves no favours in the build up to the game
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Josko Gvardiol, Ruben Dias and teammates of Manchester City celebrate the second goal during the Emirates FA Cup Semi Final match between Nottingham Forest and Manchester City
Manchester City will compete in their third FA Cup final in a row on Saturday
(Image: Ed Sykes/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
Former Manchester United coach Benni McCarthy has revealed that talks among Manchester City players about an Ibiza holiday before last season's 2024 FA Cup final ignited a strong desire to win within the Red Devils.
McCarthy, who was an assistant to Erik ten Hag from 2022 up until last summer, reflected on the incident that spurred their victory.
The two Manchester giants famously faced off at Wembley 12 months ago, with Pep Guardiola's side seeking to complete a Premier League and FA Cup double.
For Ten Hag, the match presented an opportunity to secure back-to-back trophies at Old Trafford, which he accomplished with an unexpected 2-1 triumph.
City entered as heavy favourites due to their extraordinary accomplishment of a fourth consecutive league title, finishing 31 points above United.
However, conversations overheard from City's camp prior to kick off fuelled United’s determination to achieve what seemed like an unlikely win.
Speaking to Ladbrokes for the 'Gaffer of all Accas' launch earlier in the year, McCarthy detailed the critical moment: "When we went to walk and inspect the pitch, at that moment, the disrespect from the City players kind of played a huge part," reports the Mirror.
Erik ten Hag, Manager of Manchester United, celebrates with Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho of Manchester United after the team's victory in the Emirates FA Cup Final match between Manchester City and Manchester United at Wembley Stadium on May 25, 2024 in London, England.
Erik ten Hag led United to an FA Cup triumph over City last year(Image: Eddie Keogh - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)
"You know, when you stand there and you see the players, all little groups of friends here and there, the players are out on the pitch and soaking up the atmosphere. When we walked back towards the dressing room, a lot of the City players were discussing their trips to Ibiza after the game.
"So in their heads, they've already won the FA Cup and they're already thinking about going to Ibiza and that. I think that kind of infuriated our boys because, mate, we'd got a final to win.
"We have a final to play, and you lot are talking about your after-party! Almost like in terms of they've already won it, and they are preparing the celebrations for it like they're playing against no opposition. When we got into the dressing room, the players were like, 'These lot are disrespecting us'.
Amad, Alejandro Garnacho, Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Hojlund
Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho were on the scoresheet for United
"So then they, amongst themselves, had a little huddle, and in the huddle they were going at it about the disrespect, you know. I think that's probably what we needed at that time. It just brought the furious side out of us."
Saturday afternoon will see City head into their third consecutive FA Cup final, squaring up against Crystal Palace with hopes of salvaging pride from an underwhelming season by lifting the coveted cup.
United, on the other hand, still harbour ambitions of glory of their own as they face Tottenham in the Europa League final next Wednesday in a match that is crucial if they want to end a dour league season on a high in Europe.