FA Cup: Manchester City 6-0 Watford - 5 Talking Points
Goals from David Silva, Kevin de Bruyne and two apiece for Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling helped Manchester City clinch a record domestic treble with an emphatic 6-0 win over a spirited Watford side to secure this season's FA Cup at Wembley.
Despite their dominant scoreline, the Hornets were threatening in an eventful first-half - where Roberto Pereyra missed a great chance to break the deadlock and Abdoulaye Doucoure had a penalty appeal waved away by referee Kevin Friend.
With a two-goal deficit to overturn at the interval, Watford committed more players forward and were clearly eager to cause more problems for Pep Guardiola's men to ponder. de Bruyne's introduction just before the hour mark was the catalyst though as the Citizens turned on the style and were ruthless in their pursuit of further goals.
City, who retained their Premier League title with a 3-1 win away at Brighton last weekend, finish the season on a high - while the result also means seventh-placed Wolves have qualified for Europa League competition in 2019/20. With all of that in mind, here's a look at five talking points from a memorable evening for both sides in different ways:
#5 Super Sterling and inspired sub de Bruyne impress as usual
Raheem Sterling has been vocal about Wembley and how much it means to him to be successful there, not least given his childhood and the fact he grew up just minutes away from the illustrious stadium.
He was inches away from becoming only the fourth player to score an FA Cup Final hat-trick and despite not performing at his electric best, he scored a brace while creating their all-important opener for David Silva.
It was his clever headed pass, having out-jumped Adrian Mariappa, which proved pivotal as Silva broke the deadlock from close-range - though the Englishman was characteristically hungry for more. There's no limit to his potential and I'm sure Pep would have told him the same post-match, aware that there are still improvements to be made within his game.
de Bruyne has been sidelined for large periods this season and this campaign has been a frustrating one for him on a personal level. However, he has importantly shown his class when called upon and continues to prove why he's their best player: this time an inspired display from the substitutes' bench where he earned the Man of the Match award with a goal and assist, three key passes and 100% pass accuracy.
Dragging the Watford backline both left and right, they couldn't handle him and post-match you could tell just how determined he has been to put his injury struggles behind him - after five injuries in less than a year following Belgium's third-place finish at last summer's World Cup, he wanted to prove he's "still got it" and will be hoping for more fortune as they've got lofty ambitions once again next season.