Guardiola confronts Crystal Palace goalie after FA Cup loss
Guardiola Confronts Palace Keeper Henderson After FA Cup Final Defeat
LONDON (AP) — Pep Guardiola approached Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson on the pitch following Manchester City’s surprising FA Cup final defeat on Saturday, expressing frustration over what he believed was time-wasting during stoppage time.
Guardiola was visibly agitated as he repeatedly walked up to Henderson after the final whistle at Wembley Stadium. The City boss felt the goalkeeper had begun stalling early in the added 10 minutes.
“Look, he defended his position and we defended ours,” Guardiola said. “I understand time-wasting in the final minutes, but from the first or second minute? He’s British — and in English football, you’re supposed to play.”
He added: “People can play however they want. We didn’t lose because of time-wasting — we just didn’t score. But with my teams, I never encourage that. I always try to play in a way the fans deserve to watch.”
Eberechi Eze scored the decisive goal for Palace, while Henderson emerged as a key figure, notably saving a first-half penalty from Omar Marmoush.
“We had a sense today was our day,” said Henderson. “The manager gave us a plan, and we stuck to it. We absolutely deserve this.”
The Palace goalkeeper also found himself at the center of controversy when he appeared to handle the ball outside the box to prevent Erling Haaland from getting a scoring opportunity.
While Guardiola declined to weigh in on the incident, Palace boss Oliver Glasner addressed it with a smile: “I was thinking, ‘Why didn’t he just clear the ball?’ I had my fingers crossed that VAR wouldn’t get involved. Thankfully, everything worked out.”
