Chapter 880: Six Straight FA Cup Finals
Three days later, on the afternoon of May 9, a Premier League Round 35 highlight match took place at Villa Park—Manchester United visiting Aston Villa.
In their last 42 encounters, Villa had won only once, with United taking 34 wins and 7 draws in the remaining matches. United had gone unbeaten in their last 21 visits to Villa Park with 16 wins and 5 draws. Villa's last home win over United in any competition was in the 1999 League Cup, and their last league home victory dated back to 1995. In 51 Premier League meetings, United held a record of 36 wins, 12 draws, and only 3 losses—with 16 wins, 7 draws, and 2 losses away from home.
The relentless schedule had left United's players exhausted. In this match, they looked sluggish in the first half, while Villa, spurred on by their recent good form, attacked aggressively despite the absence of home fan support.
After beating Everton in their previous match, Villa had climbed to 9th place, only four points behind 7th-placed Tottenham, keeping their European hopes alive—and that gave them every reason to fight.
Villa took the lead in the 24th minute. John McGinn dispossessed Scott McTominay, Douglas Luiz played the ball to Bertrand Traoré, and Victor Lindelöf's clearance was poor. Traoré struck from 12 yards on the left to the top-right corner—1–0. He became the third Villa player ever to score home and away against United in the same season.
That goal proved the only one of the first half, and Villa led 1–0 at the break.
...
After halftime, United recovered, and within minutes of the restart, they overturned the scoreline with two quick goals.
In the 52nd minute, Douglas Luiz clipped Bruno Fernandes from behind in the box. The referee immediately pointed to the spot, and Bruno converted calmly to make it 1–1.
That was Bruno's 35th league goal of the season and his 196th Premier League goal overall.
In the 56th minute, Diogo Dalot's pass found Mason Greenwood on the right side of the box. The young forward fired low into the near corner for 2–1—his seventh goal in his last 10 matches.
In the 78th minute, disaster struck United—Harry Maguire collided with Anwar El Ghazi and had to be substituted, later seen wearing a protective boot on his left foot.
In the 87th minute, substitute Marcus Rashford crossed from the right, and fellow substitute Harry Kane headed home from close range, sealing a 3–1 win.
Two minutes later, Ollie Watkins was sent off after receiving a second yellow card for simulation.
Once again, United had come from behind to win—it was their twelfth comeback victory of the season, setting a new Premier League record.
Later that day, at the Etihad, Chelsea stunned Manchester City by coming from behind to win.
That result allowed United, with a game in hand, to maintain a five-point lead over City—denying the Blues the chance to close the gap that Liverpool's earlier win had created for them.
United were now within touching distance of a historic fifth consecutive league title and their 25th top-flight championship. If they beat Leicester at home in the next round, and City stumbled away to Newcastle, the trophy could be theirs early.
...
Yet things are rarely that simple.
Because the season was nearing its end while United still had multiple matches remaining, their Round 36 match against Leicester City was rescheduled to May 11—barely 50 hours after their game at Villa Park.
Even with heavy rotation against Villa, the squad was still fatigued, while Leicester, locked in a fierce top-four race with Chelsea and Liverpool, were fiercely motivated.
The match was played amid rain.
Leicester scored first in the 10th minute: Youri Tielemans crossed from the right, and 19-year-old Luke Thomas volleyed from the left side of the six-yard box into the top corner—becoming the youngest player ever to score his first Premier League goal at Old Trafford.
In the 15th minute, Amad Diallo passed to Greenwood, who drove into the box and finished into the far corner—1–1. It was his eighth goal in his last eleven matches.
But in the 66th minute, Marc Albrighton's corner found Çağlar Söyüncü, whose header reclaimed the lead for Leicester. The match ended 1–2.
Two days later, on May 13, United's postponed match away at Leeds United ended in a goalless draw.
Three matches in four days—even for a squad as deep as United's—proved too much.
In the space of 48 hours, they dropped five points, and cracks began to show.
The very next day, City beat Newcastle 4–3 in a thrilling match at St. James' Park, narrowing the gap to just three points with two rounds left.
The real title showdown would come in the final two fixtures.
...
For now, though, United had bigger concerns—on May 16, they were set to face Chelsea in the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium.
It would be their sixth match in 16 days—every one a high-stakes battle. A grueling test for any side.
Fortunately, the FA had lifted attendance restrictions, allowing around 30,000 fans into Wembley—one-third of its 90,000 capacity.
Moreover, the FA and Premier League confirmed that supporters could attend the final two league rounds as well—the first time stadium restrictions had been eased since the end of 2020.
Fans would only be allowed to attend their team's final home match, but no one complained.
That meant United's Round 37 home match against Fulham would be open to spectators—a likely title decider.
However, attendance was capped at 35% capacity, meaning around 26,000 fans could be present at their final home game in Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.
Club owner Prince Jassim announced that tickets would be free but exclusively available to season-ticket holders. From a pool of 50,000 holders and 150,000 waiting-list members, 26,000 lucky fans would be selected via lottery to witness United's potential championship celebration.
...
United and Chelsea, familiar Premier League foes, would meet twice more before season's end: today's FA Cup final and, on May 29, the Champions League final.
Having dropped out of the league title race early, Chelsea shifted focus to the cup competitions under Thomas Tuchel, who replaced Frank Lampard midseason. His arrival revived the Blues, who reached both the FA Cup and Champions League finals with a chance for an incredible double.
From kickoff, Chelsea pressed aggressively, dominating possession and pinning United back.
Commentator Gary Lineker initially praised their proactive approach, applauding their energy. But after ten minutes, he noticed something—despite all their pressure, Chelsea hadn't actually created any serious threats on goal.
That realization shifted attention toward United—and Lineker noticed something else: Mourinho's men were playing ultra-defensively.
The world saw once more the full power of a genuine Mourinho bus.
...
Mourinho never entered a battle without preparation. Win or lose, he left no stone unturned.
Given United's relentless schedule, fatigue was inevitable despite his rotation efforts. That exhaustion had begun to affect results—but Mourinho wasn't about to let another trophy slip away.
It was United's sixth FA Cup final in six years, and Mourinho decided to deploy his signature masterclass: pragmatic, disciplined football.
Though Chelsea dominated the ball, Mourinho felt confident—it was all part of his plan.
Standing on the touchline, he watched the match like a hunter waiting for his moment, analyzing calmly and absorbing every nuance.
In the 29th minute, Hakim Ziyech dodged past Fred with a clever touch and drove forward—but before he could continue his run, he found himself staring up at Wembley's sky.
"Beautifully done!" shouted Mourinho.
"Foul!" yelled Tuchel from the opposite touchline.
The referee hesitated but only whistled for a foul without showing a card—dissatisfying both managers.
Mourinho argued that N'Golo Kanté had cleanly won the ball, sliding low with both feet on the turf—aggressive but not malicious—a perfect tackle.
Tuchel, on the other hand, believed Kanté should have been booked.
(END CHAPTER)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 40 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Cortez10