Erik ten Hag's game plan was out of the window with just 13 seconds on the clock, as Ilkay Gundogan lashed into the top corner before either set of players had managed to draw breath. Although Fernandes equalised from the spot to level up the scores before half-time, Gundogan struck again after the break.
The Sky Blues held on to deny United a second trophy in Ten Hag's debut season. And while Red Devils supporters were largely frustrated with Rashford's ineffective performance against their cross-city rivals, he was at least recognised for the way he dealt with the 2-1 defeat.
Marcus Rashford helped dust down his Man Utd team-mates on Saturday (Image: GETTY)
The United academy product was branded a 'future captain' on social media after upstaging Fernandes with his post-match actions. "Pure class," wrote @ltilanoi, while @martianTGOD added: "He knows we'll be back here again. He knows we're winning soon. Leadership."
@villeneuve_stan urged Ten Hag to make moves in the transfer market and provide support for Rashford, who notched 30 goals across all competitions in 2022/23. "I love him so much," he wrote. "We'll be back stronger next season with a striker to help you Rashy."
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However, not every United fan was pleased with the forward's performance, with several instances of failing to close down or challenge for headers sparking online debate. "If the captain is putting in performances like he did, I'd seriously be concerned," wrote @JxrdySK.
Ten Hag may be tempted to reshuffle the United captaincy over the summer given the current state of affairs at Old Trafford. Harry Maguire officially remains the club captain but he is rarely on the pitch to don the armband.
Ilkay Gundogan was the star of the show as Man City won the FA Cup (Image: Getty)
Fernandes was therefore the de facto skipper for much of the campaign, but Ten Hag is reported to have an eight-player captaincy group which includes Rashford, alongside the likes of Casemiro and Raphael Varane.
After falling short on Sunday, the Red Devils will now hope that City fail to beat Inter Milan in next weekend's Champions League final, which would see Guardiola and co equal United's silverware treble achievement in 1999.