Manchester City Complete Historic Treble with 6-0 Win over Watford in FA Cup

Manchester City became the first English club to secure a men's domestic treble after beating Watford 6-0 in the 2019 FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.

Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus each bagged a brace, along with goals from David Silva and substitute Kevin De Bruyne, as City added the trophy to the Premier League title and Carabao Cup claimed earlier this season.

Treble Cements City as Premier League's Greatest Team

If there was still a debate to be had about who is the greatest team of the Premier League era, City ended it the right way by winning the FA Cup to secure a first domestic treble.

Victory at Wembley completes an awesome two-season run of dominance good enough to see City surpass the achievements and legacy of the two main contenders for the tag of Premier League's greatest.

For my money, those are Arsenal's "Invincibles," winners of the league crown in 2003/04 without losing a game. Then there are Manchester United's treble winners of 1998/99, who took home the league title, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League trophy.

So why do City get the nod over both? Well, for one thing, scooping three domestic trophies in a single season isn't the only unique achievement manager Pep Guardiola's team can lay claim to.

Pretty much the same squad became the first team to win the title with 100 points. Following the "Centurions" campaign with a three-trophy haul is one giant exclamation point on this team's greatness.

Most great teams have one defining moment to remember their era by. City have two.

By winning retaining the title this season, City also have longevity. It's not something the unbeaten Gunners can lay claim to since the following campaign ended in a second-place finish for Arsene Wenger's men, who still lifted the FA Cup at United's expense.

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By then, weakness had already started to appear in Wenger's grand design. A vulnerability defending set-pieces, along with the physical decline of key players such as Robert Pires, Sol Campbell and Dennis Bergkamp, meant the writing appeared on the wall pretty quickly for the "Invincibles."

United's treble vintage did keep winning, retaining the league crown in 1999/00 by a then-record 18 points, a gap better by Guardiola's men in 2018. The Red Devils were champions again in 2000/01, but the lack of continued cup success, as well as the prolonged difficulty to replace Peter Schmeichel in goal, make City's case stronger.

City have all the things needed to be crowned greatest ever. Resilience is in no short supply, as evidenced by seeing off Liverpool in an intense title race.

Results are also there, thanks to accumulating a staggering 198 points over consecutive seasons in the self-styled "toughest league in the world."

When it comes to putting silverware on the table, Guardiola has two titles, as many Carabao Cups and now the FA Cup as fruits of his labour.

He also has a squad superior in strength in depth to those of Arsenal and United's glory years. It spoke volumes about the quality at Guardiola's disposal that he felt comfortable leaving 32-goal striker Aguero on the bench for a final.

Then again, it's not such a leap of faith when fully fledged Brazil international Jesus is the next man up.

Nor was Guardiola taking a gamble by keeping Riyad Mahrez in the starting XI. The former Leicester City winger has played sparingly since arriving in a transfer worth £60 million last summer, but he emerged from obscurity to score and assist in the 4-1 title-deciding win over Brighton & Hove Albion last Sunday.

Mahrez kept his place for Wembley and showed why during a dazzling 54-minute cameo before he made way for De Bruyne.

Not needing a playmaker as cultured as De Bruyne for the majority of the match—or the season, for that matter—since injuries have derailed his playing time, underlines City's frightening depth.

De Bruyne hasn't been the only key figure missing with crucial holding midfielder Fernandinho missing out in the final due to a lingering knee problem. Once considered vital to the City machine, the Citizens have not missed a beat in Fernandinho's absence, thanks to Ilkay Gundogan, a midfielder who would walk into the first XI of any of City's top-six rivals.

So would Leroy Sane, the mercurial attacker who eventually came off the bench in the second half at Wembley. The German has been overlooked at times this season amid Guardiola's embarrassment of riches.

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While City can call on stars to keep things fresh, Arsenal's 2003/04 vintage had to turn to the likes of Pascal Cygan, Jeremie Alliadiere and David Bentley. Meanwhile, United's 1999 midfield quarter of Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Roy Keane and David Beckham was a force, but depth was scant when Nicky Butt and Jesper Blomqvist were needed.

City are deeper and more talented than Arsenal and United's best-ever Premier League offerings. They have also put more wins, points and trophies on the table.