Erik ten Hag got his teenage kicks as two of Manchester United’s brightest young talents inspired their side to a surprise FA Cup final win over Manchester City on Saturday.

With pre-match reports indicating that Ten Hag, who could only guide his side to an eighth placed finish in the Premier League this season, will be sacked this summer regardless of the result at Wembley, United were an impressively organised outfit in the opening exchanges, and they took the lead after half an hour following a mix up between Stefan Ortega and Josko Gvardiol which allowed Alejandro Garnacho to score.

A superb team move led to Kobbie Mainoo slotting home a brilliant second before the break, with a sluggish City left punch-drunk. Erling Haaland hit the bar for Pep Guardiola’s side early in the second half, but United held firm until Jeremy Doku’s effort squirmed past Andre Onana in the 87th minute.

Roared on by their fans, United survived the remainder of normal time and seven minutes of stoppage time to secure an unlikely success and deny City the league and cup double a season on from their historic treble. Here are the game’s main talking points from a thrilling Wembley occasion.

The game quickly took on the type of pattern that we all thought it would, with City dominating possession and United happy to allow them to do just that, but then a curious thing happened. We all saw Manchester City not be very good at football.

Passes were going astray and a tone was set was a by a side which looked remarkably weary. Pep Guardiola would have wanted his side to exert control and dominance on this game without necessarily expanding too much energy, for they haven’t really got that much left after a gruelling season, but City were sucked into a disciplined United trap and they very quickly began to get down on themselves.

Ideas were scarce, arms were thrown into the air and a suited and booted Guardiola would have heard the alarm bells on the touchline.

Even though they had started poorly City would have thought that they would eventually wear United down, but with their first choice centre-back pairing playing behind a more mobile, cohesive midfield, United looked extremely organised, and it was that organisation which allowed them to gain a foothold in the game as they gained confidence.

There were a couple of occasions when they could have sprang in behind a wobbling, high City line, while their pressing from the front was on point too as Ortega looked hurried. Moments later the goalkeeper and Gvardiol got in their almighty mess, with Garnacho taking advantage, and while there was a large slice of fortune about the goal it was a reward for the disciplined approach United took against a side who probably expected that discipline to be absent.

Bruno Fernandes found Mainoo, who then found Marcus Rashford on the left. Rashford’s superb, raking pass picked out Garnacho, he found Fernandes on the edge of the box and the skipper, having already clocked where Mainoo was earlier in his run, superbly found the young midfielder without looking at him, and Mainoo finished expertly. Four footballers, 13 touches of the football, one magnificent goal.

It was a strike that deserves a special place in FA Cup and Manchester United folklore, with Mainoo capping his excellent season by becoming just the fourth teenager to score in a final, nine minutes after Garnacho had become the third. A reminder that for all United’s issues, a lack of exciting young players isn’t one of them.

Kevin De Bruyne is no stranger to leaving a final early. In the 2021 Champions League final he smashed into Chelsea’s Antonio Rudiger and ended up withdrawn in tears due to concussion protocols, while two years later he only made it to the 36th minute against Inter Milan before suffering a hamstring injury. He went off before the hour mark again here, but he just wasn’t very good.

The Belgian’s influence on this City side was clearly felt when he returned in such style for the second half of the season, but at 33 next month, and having been so vocal around player workload in recent years, you have to wonder just how much he’s got left in the tank.

City have seen a creative force step forward and become a main attacking weapon for them this season in the form of Phil Foden, although not here, and De Bruyne’s ongoing influence on their team is becoming rationed. It isn’t infinite though.

Whatever you think of him – and plenty of the things he comes out with don’t exactly help his cause – you can’t help but raise a smile and a glass for Ten Hag after this success.

It must never be very nice to be told that you’re going to lose your job on the eve of a day on the global stage, a day when many were confidently predicting that the Dutchman and his team would be embarrassed by their city neighbours.

London-born Nigeria winger and Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman, says the support he gets from Nigerians motivates him to do more in his footballing career.

Lookman’ s stunning hat-trick on Wednesday night in the Europa League final encounter with Bayer Leverkusen’s, ensured the victory of the Serie A side.

The London-born Nigerian international with his performance in the encounter set a record of becoming the first player to score a hat-trick in a European final since 1975.

The 26-year-old who had represented England at youth football levels before switching allegiance to Nigeria, said: “It’s incredible, and I have said this in earlier interviews: the unwavering support and love I get back home is unbelievable; it gives me the motivation to try to inspire myself and try to evolve in different areas, not just in my game but as a person.

“It has taken me to a new level. Competing in AFCON this January, unfortunately, we lost in the final, but it catapulted us as Super Eagles, and the support back home is incredible.”

He also said: “Probably, I’ve always had the confidence to create and score goals and help my teammates.

“In the past few years, I’ve been able to take my game to a new level and show that on a more consistent basis.

“I’m pleased with the progress I’ve made, but this is just the beginning. I hope for more nights like this.”

Ademola Lookman etched himself into Atalanta folklore with a Europa League final hat-trick that he says didn’t catch him by surprise – although boss Gian Piero Gasperini admitted nobody could have expected his progress.

The London-born Nigeria winger became only the sixth player to score a hat-trick in a European final – the first since Jupp Heynckes for Borussia Monchengladbach in the 1975 Uefa Cup – with all three goals in the Italian side’s win over Bayer Leverkusen in Dublin.

That is the Bayer Leverkusen side led by Xabi Alonso, which had not lost a single game of football for 361 days.

Lookman, 26, had never managed double figures in a season for Charlton, Everton, RB Leipzig, Fulham or Leicester.

After this treble the former England Under-21 winger, who now represents Nigeria at international level, has netted 15 goals in each of his two seasons with Atalanta.

Gasperini said: “We had a senior manager at Atalanta [Lee Congerton] who had worked at Leicester, who saw the opportunity to bring him in and thought he was a possible useful player.

“Nobody could ever imagine he’d could make this much progress. He wasn’t overly prolific in England. I changed his position to a more attacking role.

“Tonight he achieved something which will remain in the annals of football history – a stunning hat-trick.”

Lookman was asked afterwards if he could have imagined this growing up in Wandsworth and when he started out at Charlton’s academy.

“Probably, yeah,” he replied. “I’ve always had the confidence in my ability.

“In the past two years I’ve been able to take my game to a new level and show it on a more consistent basis.

“Maybe it could have come earlier but it’s come now. I’m pleased with the progress I’ve made but this is just the beginning. I hope for more nights like this.”

‘One of the best nights of my life’
Immediately after the final whistle Lookman told TNT Sports “it’s one of the best nights of my life”. Perhaps understated.

A Dublin party was “100%” planned, he added. “We’ve got to celebrate, we made history tonight.”

Lookman joined Gasperini’s post-match news conference midway through and after the manager had left he spoke about the role he has had in his career.

“The past few years, the club and coach have supported me in terms of giving me minutes… it’s helped me elevate my game to a new level,” he added.

“The first few conversations we had, made me look at football a bit differently. It made it simpler in my mind in terms of what he expected from me.

“It made me look at, and play, my game in a different light. I’m very grateful to him.”

Lookman laughed when an Italian journalist claimed a street may be named after him in Bergamo one day.

The forward is one of about 120,000 people who live in the northern Italian city close to Milan.

“I feel the support from the fans from the first minute I was in Bergamo,” he added. “The city of Bergamo gives me a sense of calmness. It’s a very calm, relaxed city and that has helped me a lot with my living style. I’m focused on the important things.

Lookman’s mentor and coach of former youth side Waterloo, Felix Emanus, also spoke to TNT Sports after the game.

“I really can’t tell you my emotions – sky high,” he said. “We’ve been dreaming about this for a long time, since Ade was a kid at Waterloo. Tonight was a dream come true.

“I cried when the third goal went in. I’m so happy for Ade. He works so hard, quiet lad. Sometimes misunderstood because of his quietness but he’s a great kid. Wants to learn, wants to always get better and wants to reach the top.”

At the age of 66 years and 117 days, Gian Piero Gasperini is the oldest coach to win the Europa League

While this may be remembered as the Lookman final, Atalanta’s success is just as remarkable.

In their 116-year history, this was only their second trophy – after the 1963 Coppa Italia.

Just last week they lost the Coppa Italia final to Juventus. What a way to bounce back.

Gasperini’s men also became the first Italian team to win this tournament since 1999.

“I am hugely proud for all of Italy because it was a cursed trophy,” said the 66-year-old, who took charge of the club in 2016. “Having won it with Atalanta is perhaps one of those footballing fairytales that rarely crop up.

“It gives hope for meritocracy. It doesn’t come down to Super Leagues. You can show faith in other teams without big bills and budgets.

“Let’s try to savour this win before thinking about how far we can go next season. This team has grown with results. We’ve done so while making sure we balance the books or turn a profit and that’s the most exceptional element of this club.

“Typically the clubs who are winning things struggle to keep costs down. Atalanta have managed to win things while being a financially sustainable club. That’s extraordinary.”