There is no real question that these are the two truly elite academies in the country at the moment and recent seasons suggest that over half who featured in this final will be heading to the Premier League soon enough.
Aston Villa, with the mercurial Cole Brannigan pulling strings and a stunning Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba effort taking the headlines, pipped Manchester City to lift a fifth FA Youth Cup in their storied history – and the second time since an overhaul in 2019.
Both of these clubs are finding that the tills can ring from the academy and it will be interesting to see how many now break through under either Unai Emery or Pep Guardiola.