Ten Hag can still take heart from progress

BIG-MATCH VERDICT

- Neil Squires

WEMBLEY’S tale of one city ended in a sky blue flag-fest and a trophy raised by the day’s star turn – silky Ilkay Gundogan. 

The red half of Manchester, though, could take some solace in having pushed the Treble hunters more closely than many expected.

The city rivalry has been a one-sided affair since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson. They are not there yet but Erik ten Hag’s arrival has raised hopes that somewhere down the line the scales could be rebalanced.

United can reflect on a season of real progress under Ten Hag and, while the only thing that really counts from an FA Cup Final is who wins it, their arrow of travel under him is undeniably in the right direction.

This remarkable City side may well secure their Treble but oddly it may well also go down as the season United started to close the gap.