Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has named one Manchester United player as the best in the world following the latter’s heroics in the 2023-24 FA Cup final.
Pep Guardiola was aiming for his fifth double as Manchester City manager but met a determined United charges ready to peg the Premier League giants to a single trophy.
As expected, the Guardiola-led side dominated proceedings in the game, forcing United to their half for most of the game but it was a deadlock in United’s final third.
United’s charges at the defence proved a tough nut to crack, thanks to the return of the prolific defensive pair – Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane.
Speaking after the game, Pep Guardiola recognized one of the Man United defenders – Lisandro Martinez – as one of the best in the world for his impressive performance in the game.
Apart from the latter’s defensive flair, Guardiola picked on one attribute that made him qualify the player among the best in the world.
According to him, the 2022 World Cup winner was causing his side trouble with his defence-piercing passes that pricked his team out of balance.
“Lisandro Martínez is top 5 center-backs in the world,” he said as quoted by Fabrizio Romano.
“He made the difference on this game by playing passes through our defence”.
Despite his shortlived appearance in the game due to an injury scare, Martinez shone bright in the United defence, making all the crucial blocks and clearances to keep City’s attacking charges at bay.
He also bottled City’s prolific forward Erling Haaland, making it another tough going for the Norwegian attacking sensation.
With a solid defensive backline to tame City’s attacking arsenal, Garnacho and Kobbie would later put the Red Devils in front before the break.
After Licha was hurled off due to an injury scare, Manchester City substitute Jeremy Doku halved the deficit for the Premier League champions but it was not enough to inspire a comeback as United held on to secure victory and clinch their 13th FA Cup title.
