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Comment... from Sir Geoff

• FA Cup Final: Man CIty 1 Stoke 0Source: Sir Geoff Hurst
  Date: 14 May 2011
  
  As a spectacle this FA Cup Final was no classic but it illustrated perfectly the growing gap in class between the rich elite of the Premiership and the rest.
  
  No club is richer, of course, than Manchester City and this was clear for all to see at Wembley.
  
  Stoke City, one of my old clubs, provided gallant and stubborn resistance but, in truth, City were a class apart.
  
  They should have won far Ýmore emphatically than 1-0 and the fact that Stoke were able to cling on for so long was evidence of the team spirit and discipline instilled by manager Tony Pulis.
  
  But City, with a superior cast list of players, were in complete control for most of the match. Stoke threatened Ýbriefly in the second half but Kenwyne Jones squandered their one realistic scoring opportunity.
  
  The City manager Roberto Mancini clearly prepared his team well, reminding them of Arsenal's humiliation in the Carling Cup and of the perils laying in wait for the complacent.
  
  But there was no complacency among the ranks of City's super-rich stars. The energy and drive of players like Ya Ya Toure and Nigel de Jong epitomised the commitment of City and it was entirely appropriate that Toure should provide the only goal of the game.
  
  Stoke, for whom I played for three years in the eventies, are often criticised for employing a direct and physical approach to the game but at Wembley this was simply not enough. Pulis, I'm sure, will know that his team failed to play to their potential.
  
  Similarly, City failed to reach the heights, but what they did was more Ýthan enough to end their 35 year wait for a trophy.
  
  It was ironic that, even before they kicked off, their local rivals Manchester United were celebrating a record 19th title triumph. It was unfortunate that the FA Cup Final this year had to be played a week early because of the Champions League Final at Wembley, but United's latest triumph should not detract from City's re-emergence after a generation in the shadow of Old Trafford.
  
  As disappointed as I was for my old club Stoke, it was nonetheless good to see former England colleagues like Francis Lee and Mike Summerbee enjoying their day out at Wembley.
  
  As former City players they know the depth of the traditional rivalry in Manchester. They will also know better than most that, while City's FA Cup Final win is a step in the right direction, there is still a long way to go before they can challenge the supremacy of Manchester United.