Sky Blue News: Double Double, Johnny Stones. Gundo the Great, and More...

Manchester City are two-thirds of the way to the treble after besting Manchester United in the FA Cup final at Wembley on Saturday. Now the Manc Blues turn their eyes to Istanbul and the UEFA Champions League final against Inter Milan. Sky Blue News is here to get you all caught up with the latest headlines.

MONDAY MARKER: YOUR GUIDE TO CITY’S WEEK AHEAD - ManCity.com

Our tantalising Champions League final at Istanbul’s Atatürk Olympic Stadium will be shown live in the United Kingdom on BT Sport.

Viewers around the world can find out how to watch via these TV listings, courtesy of LiveSoccerTV.

You can also follow the action live with our Matchday Centre on mancity.com and our official app, as well as the best of the action on Twitter: @ManCity.

Gundo Double Secures Double For Manchester City - Manc Pete - Bitter and Blue

In the first-ever all-Manchester final, City were looking to secure the FA Cup for the seventh time and was next on the list as City search for the elusive European treble to go with the three domestic trophies they won in 2019. United, meanwhile, were aiming to prevent City from matching their own treble triumph in 1999 and secure their second trophy of the season in the process.

In the end, it was City who marched on in their quest, but it wasn’t without putting the fans at a packed Wembley through hell first.

The blues made several changes from the team that lost 1-0 at Brentford last weekend, restoring Gundogan, Grealish, John Stones, Erling Haaland, Rodri and Bernardo Silva to the starting line-up.

And it was Mr Whippy himself that opened the scoring with a stunning striker with not even 15 seconds on the clock. Ortega received the ball straight from the kick-off and launched it upfield towards Haaland. The Norwegian flicked it on and United attempted to clear under pressure. The ball fell kindly for Gundo who hit a first-time volley that flew past David de Gea to give City a perfect start.

Man City defender makes treble admission ahead of Inter Milan Champions League final - Michael Plant - Manchester World

Nathan Ake has revealed the Manchester City squad have begun talking about the possibility of winning a treble this season.

Pep Guardiola’s side took a huge step towards achieving that feat when they beat Manchester United 2-1 in Saturday’s FA Cup final. An Ilkay Gundogan double secured a 2-1 victory over the Red Devils at Wembley and means City have now won the Premier League and FA Cup double this season.

But could be extended to three next weekend when City face Inter Milan in the Champions League final, and the Blues are aiming to win just a second treble in the history of English football.

For weeks, Guardiola has played down treble talk and insisted the team are very much focusing on one game at a time. But speaking after the FA Cup final, Ake admitted the squad have started discussing the prospect of completing a historic season.

“It’s only normal that we can talk about it now,” said the Dutchman. “Only one game and we can do it. It won’t be easy, like today will be very tough, we have to dig in.

Pep Guardiola has discovered one of Man City’s most important players with tactical experiment - George Smith - Manchester Evening News

The FA Cup final was 48 minutes old when John Stones injected fresh energy into the sea of blue that was gathered at the west end of Wembley Stadium.

The Manchester City defender, after receiving a short pass from goalkeeper Stefan Ortega, was quickly closed down by four Manchester United players and it looked as though there would be no way out for the Barnsley Beckenbauer, as he is sometimes known. Somehow, though, he managed to swivel away from any potential danger without breaking sweat.

Being closed down by Marcus Rashford, Stones turned right on the very edge of his own box, strode past Christian Eriksen as though he wasn’t there and played a composed pass out to Kyle Walker, who was stationed on the right touchline. From a potentially awkward situation, Stones played his and City’s way out with ease.

The most impressive part of that scenario, however, was that Stones had dropped deep from the defensive-midfield position to get on the ball. Unlike in recent weeks, where he has started at right back and moved into midfield when City have the ball, Stones started as an out-and-out defensive-midfielder, partnering Rodri at the base of the engine room.

The England international, who will be hoping to help City complete a historic treble when they face Inter Milan in the Champions League final on Saturday night in Istanbul, was exceptional alongside the Spaniard, dictating patterns of play and dropping between the lines to get on the ball. He was in a league of his own in that sense and his performance, had it not been for Ilkay Gundogan’s two-goal haul, probably would have been enough for him to scoop the Man of the Match award.

Real Madrid set to face further Manchester City disappointment as ‘confidence’ emerges at Etihad Stadium - Freddie Pye - City Xtra

Pep Guardiola and his players comfortably progressed into the final of Europe’s premier club competition last month after a 1-1 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu was followed by a 4-0 win for the hosts at the Etihad Stadium a week later.

That outcome forced the La Liga side into an urgent review of their summer transfer planning, and booked Manchester City a place in the final of the UEFA Champions League, where they will face Inter in Istanbul on Saturday night.

Now, in what will undoubtedly come as a further crushing setback to the Spanish giants, a new report has detailed a growing feeling of confidence within the Etihad Stadium over the extension of Erling Haaland’s Manchester City contract.

The Norwegian international striker has long been admired by transfer bosses at Real Madrid, with Los Blancos pushing City all the way in the hunt for Haaland’s signature during the 2021/22 season, with the Premier League side ultimately coming out on top.

According to the information of Mike McGrath and James Ducker of The Telegraph, Manchester City’s hunt for a historic treble this season has increased hopes of Erling Haaland committing to a longer deal at the club this summer.

It is further explained that there is now a feeling of confidence within Manchester City that an extension of Haaland’s contract has a ‘strong chance’ of being agreed, given the player’s happiness at the football club.

Gündogan is now a totemic figure in City’s journey towards domination - Nick Ames - The Guardian

It was Gündogan who raised the Cup and presumably will, again, on Saturday if City prevail in the Champions League. “I think it is about how I was behaving in the last few years, my character and just a reward from my teammates,” he said shortly afterwards when asked about the significance of captaining City, an accolade awarded via a vote from the squad, in this of all seasons.

“I try to do the same things I’ve been doing for seven years now and don’t feel like there is something I have to change because I have the captain’s armband.”

Gündogan had planned a speech for his colleagues in the pre‑match huddle at Wembley but stood aside: Rúben Dias had some words to get off his chest and was given permission to pour forth instead. It is a minor detail but a telling one: Gündogan is no stranger to giving others the floor, flashier or more prolific names often stealing the show at City, and his metamorphosis into their difference-maker has come without the smallest hint of ego attached.

And finally... The lads serenade Sir Elton before heading back to Manchester with their latest prize.

Manchester City sing ‘Your Song’ to Elton John at Manchester Airport after FA Cup win - David James Young - NME

John shared a photo with the team on his Instagram, with the musician smiling and holding the FA Cup. “Congratulations on an incredible double,” he wrote. “Fingers crossed for the treble.” In football, a treble is achieved when a team wins three trophies in a single season. Manchester City also won the Premier League trophy prior to their FA Cup victory, and will face Inter Milan in the Champions League final next week.

John’s ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ tour continues on with a headlining performance at Glastonbury at the end of the month. The singer confessed to being “a little intimidated” by the festival in a recent interview with BBC London, but also notes that performing at Worthy Farm will be “the most wonderful way to sign off in England”.

John also noted that the set-list for the Glastonbury show will be “much different” to the standard set he has been performing every night of the farewell tour. He also noted that special guests will be joining him at the festival, but did not disclose who they were.

There you have it. Stay with Bitter and Blue all week as we get ready for the trip to Istanbul. Sky Blue News returns Monday with more headlines.