Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola revealed that his heated on-pitch discussion with Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson after Saturday’s FA Cup final was about supposed time-wasting.
Guardiola cut a frustrated figure after his City side were beaten 1–0 by Palace at Wembley Stadium. The Catalan’s dethroned Premier League champions were heavy favourites for this weekend‘s showpiece yet couldn’t find a way past an inspired Henderson.
At the end of the contest, Guardiola was seen in a heated discussion with Palace’s capped-goalkeeper. “He defended his position, we defended our position,” City’s boss spikily explained in his post-match press conference.
Henderson, who saved a first-half penalty from Omar Marmoush, offered some more context to the public spat. “I just wanted to shake Pep Guardiola’s hand and I think he was disappointed with my time-wasting,” the England international told ITV. “I said to him, ‘You got your 10 minutes [of extra time] that you wanted, so no hard feelings?’”
Eberechi Eze scored the game’s only goal in the 16th minute, giving Palace something to defend as they huddled into a compact low block. Between some miraculous stops—and a controversial hand-ball outside his penalty area which went surprisingly unpunished—Henderson also did his best to slow down proceedings.
“It’s time-wasting,” Guardiola huffed. ”I understand in the last minutes, but since the one or two minutes? He’s British, in English football, you have to play. I’m sorry. Everyone can do whatever they want. We have to score goals. We didn’t lose because Henderson was time-wasting. In the last minutes, I understand [time-wasting].”
Dean Henderson's heroics will send Haaland's penalty decision down as one of the worst in history. pic.twitter.com/vdDjLmQt3K
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While he did his best to not linger on this talking point, Guardiola couldn’t help but clarify his frustration. “They gave us nine or 10 minutes extra time, but it’s a question of rhythm,” he fumed. “All the fans are there to let the 22 players play, play, play, play. So, when you see Barcelona now, they’re losing, attack, attack, attack, attack, and the other team attack, attack. The show is beautiful.
“But I understand [Henderson’s] position. It’s a question of the referee, not a question of mine. Because we don’t have the rhythm that you need again, again, again. I understand when it’s 92 minutes, 86, 87, you know. But I don’t feel it.
“My team, I never try [to do it] because I try to play the game like the people deserve to watch.”
For all his frustration, Guardiola did conclude his tirade with a nod towards the first major trophy in Crystal Palace’s history. “Saying that, congratulations because at the end they defended really, really well and we were not able to score a goal.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Pep Guardiola Explains On-Field Spat After FA Cup Final.
