Credit: Imago / ESPN

Harri Burton

Mon 19 May 2025 19:42, UK

Pep Guardiola’s actions after Man City lost to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium have been condemned.

The Citizens drew the short straw on a key decision, as the Eagles lifted their first-ever major trophy thanks to an Eberechi Eze goal, but the game was somewhat shrouded in controversy.

Dean Henderson avoided a sending-off for Palace, having handled the ball outside the penalty area, and did not even give away a dangerous free-kick, meaning he was in position to save Omar Marmoush’s spot-kick soon after.

Erling Haaland’s giving up of the penalty baffled during the clash, and the Norwegian star, joined by his teammates, was thwarted several times as the Palace goalkeeper continued to run down the clock.

While the 28-year-old was eventually shown a yellow card for time-wasting in added time, Guardiola made his feelings clear about his antics, but Richard Keys has disagreed entirely with the Catalan’s actions.

Pep Guardiola clashes with Dean Henderson in FA Cup final

Writing on his personal blog (19 May), Keys said: “What was Guardiola doing? We’ve got to stop managers from going on the pitch at the end of games.

“I thought Dean Henderson handled himself really well. He should’ve told him to [expletive] off. How dare he complain? What does he mean by ‘It’s not fair play. You should not – it’s not fair’?

“Of course, he was referring to Henderson’s time-wasting. And it is fair. It worked. It disturbed City and their rhythm. I know it can be infuriating, but it’s all part of the game. What does Guardiola expect – that teams should the way he wants them to?

“So City can beat the living daylights out of them? Get off. You play the way that you believe will get you a result. That’s exactly what Palace did. That it irritated Guardiola was a bonus.”

Man City boss under pressure ahead of Bournemouth clash

Football Insider verdict

While any chance of lifting silverware this season has now vanished for the Citizens, there is still Champions League qualification to fight for after a disappointing campaign across all competitions.

Newcastle United, Chelsea, Aston Villa, and Nottingham Forest are all fighting for a top-five spot this season, but with a game in hand, City have the advantage heading into the final two matches.

Keys already believes that Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola could be in line to replace Guardiola at Man City, and the Cherries will be doing absolutely everything to secure three points at the Etihad.

Iraola’s side have already claimed victory once this season, thanks to goals from Antoine Semenyo and Evanilson, and the same could happen with City currently facing a two-game winless streak.

Missing out on Champions League football would be disastrous and would almost certainly put Guardiola under more pressure from frustrated Man City fans heading into the summer.