It was a day to forget for the Red Devils' English strikers, who were upstaged by the magical Alejandro Garnacho and Oscar Bobb
If Manchester United were hoping that this would be a season of redemption for Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford, they were left disappointed at the first hurdle.
After a dreadful pre-season, the Red Devils played much better than expected in the Community Shield against Manchester City, but were ultimately left empty handed, as Pep Guardiola's side left it late to snatch a 1-1 draw before prevailing 7-6 on penalties.
Sancho was the obvious scapegoat after being denied in the shootout by Ederson, in a continuation of his penalty misery at the home of football. But Rashford was equally culpable after missing one good chance and one absolute sitter in normal time.
Defeat aside, this was anencouraging performance from Erik ten Hag's side, with Casemiro looking much improved and Alejandro Garnacho picking up where he left off last season, scoring a stunning goal to give United the lead.
Lightning would not strike twice for Erik ten Hag, though, after last season's surprise FA Cup win, as Bernardo Silva headed in the equaliser in the 89th minute. The Portuguese missed from the spot to give United the advantage, only for Sancho and Jonny Evans to blow it and give City the perfect start to the season.
GOAL breaks down the winners and losers from Wembley Stadium…
Getty WINNER: Alejandro Garnacho
The Argentine is a man for the big occasion and he simply loves playing at Wembley. He scored the opening goal in the FA Cup final and fittingly broke the deadlock here with a moment of magic.
It was unsurprising that he took matters into his own hands, as just minutes earlier he had put the ball on a plate for Rashford and watched with anguish as his team-mate hit the post. Garnacho used his trickery to waltz across the City defence before producing a deft low finish.
He also took his penalty confidently and it was a big shame he could not collect another medal this time.
AdvertisementGettyLOSER: Jadon Sancho
Wembley is known as the home of football but for Sancho it is a nightmarish place. This was the winger's fourth final here and he has now lost three times, while missing a crucial penalty on two occasions.
This will be the least painful of his other defeats, the Euro 2020 final with England and this year's Champions League final with Borussia Dortmund. And yet it must have been frustrating for other reasons.
He was expected to start up front but ended up being benched and only came on in the 83rd minute. Combined with his penalty miss, which handed the momentum to City, this was a dismal start to his second lease of life under Ten Hag.
Getty ImagesWINNER: Ederson
The Brazilian goalkeeper was expected to leave and move to Saudi Arabia this summer so merely seeing him in the line-up was a big boost for City fans, if not for his fellow 'keeper Stefan Ortega.
The German has begun to rival Ederson for the No.1 spot but his performance in the shootout was a reminder of his ability to get his team over the line in the crunch moments.
Not only did he turn away Sancho's penalty, he also stepped up to take a spot-kick himself and scored. It was a further demonstration that he is a unique goalkeeper, underlining why Guardiola was so keen for him to stay.
Getty Images SportLOSER: Marcus Rashford
Ten Hag had hyped Rashford up ahead of the game, saying he looked sharp in pre-season and was ready to compensate for his disappointing campaign. And yet when push came to shove, Rashford looked just like he did last year, lacking in confidence and missing big chances.
The striker failed to hit the target after a sizzling team move in the first half although it was not exactly a sitter. But his second opportunity, presented to him on a plate by Bruno Fernandes and then Garnacho, was a must-score moment. Rashford did not look as if he was going to find the net, though, taking the shot without conviction and instead hitting the near post.
He looked gutted and so did his team-mates. There is extra pressure on Rashford to deliver in front of goal as Rasmus Hojlund is out of action for the next month and Joshua Zirkzee will need time to adjust to his new team. Budding forwards hoping to join United could be in luck, though, as Rashford's display underlined the need for a more clinical finisher.