Manchester United v Manchester City: the FA Cup final’s key tactical battles

We pick out four important areas, including City’s newfound prowess at crossed set plays and where Stones and Rashford are deployed

United’s victory in the last derby turned out to be nowhere near as pivotal as it felt at the time. It was a ninth win in a row for Erik ten Hag’s side and took them to within a point of City; approaching the halfway point of the season, they seemed very much part of the title race. A draw at Crystal Palace and defeat at Arsenal in the two games that followed exposed that as fallacy. But that does not mean the game was not meaningful – even if that significance was probably felt more by City than United.

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