Manchester United have long been considered the dominant team in English soccer. But ever since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, the club have experienced a significant decline. Coming into Saturday’s FA Cup Final, United had failed to win a major trophy since the Scotsman left as manager. That changed over the weekend, with a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Crystal Palace at Wembley.

In regards to the match itself, it certainly is worthy of being regarded as one of the more entertaining Finals in recent memory, as Palace & United met in a rematch of the 1990 Final. Like 26 years ago, the Eagles appeared to have a game-winning goal from a substitute, before the Red Devils equalized through Juan Mata. Jesse Lingard won the Cup with an extra-time strike fitting for the occasion, one that will be replayed for many years.

Saturday’s win was significant for multiple reasons. It marks United’s first FA Cup win since 2004, when now-assistant coach Ryan Giggs was still in the prime of his playing career. The club would go on to make two more Finals under Ferguson, but were unsuccessful against Arsenal & Chelsea. The new Wembley has not been the kindest ground for the Red Devils since opening in 2007, but Saturday’s win does provide a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing campaign.

The Red Devils did qualify for the Champions League in 2015/16, though a 3rd-place group finish meant a spot in the Europa League knockout rounds, where they fell tamely in the Round of 16. In the Premier League, they had several opportunities to book a top-four finish, but the club would ultimately finish 5th, meaning no Champions League appearance for the second time in three years.

Despite the FA Cup triumph, speculation remains over the job security of Louis van Gaal. The Dutchman has one year remaining on his contract, but talk has grown of van Gaal being replaced by Jose Mourinho. It’s unfortunate that the main topic of discussion following Saturday’s match was about LvG’s future with United, but it appears that even winning the FA Cup – which admittedly doesn’t mean as much today as it used to a generation ago – won’t be enough to justify him staying at Old Trafford one more season.

Who will Manchester United’s manager be in 2016/17? And whoever it is, can he use the momentum from the Cup title to lead the club to more success?