Latest Manchester City news after Blues beaten 1-0 in FA Cup final
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Head Coach Pep Guardiola of Manchester City and Dean Henderson of Crystal Palace having words with each other after Palace's 1-0 win during the FA Cup final
Pep Guardiola and Dean Henderson engaged in an argument on the pitch following Manchester City's FA Cup final defeat to Crystal Palace
Manchester City were beaten 1-0 by Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final on Saturday.
The contest was full of narrative with Eberechi Eze's first half goal ultimately proving the difference. But City missed a penalty after Erling Haaland handed the ball to Omar Marmoush who saw his shot saved by Dean Henderson. The Palace keeper could easily have been sent off for handling the ball outside his box shortly before the spot kick he saved but the officials opted not to give him a red card after a VAR review.
The result gave Palace their first major trophy while City will have to pick themselves up for a crucial Premier League game with Bournemouth on Tuesday with their aspirations of qualifying for the Champions League still in the balance. Here's the latest City headlines.
Henderson row
Pep Guardiola congratulated Dean Henderson and Crystal Palace after bemoaning the way their tactics stifled Manchester City.
The City boss exchanged words with the Palace keeper at full-time of their FA Cup final defeat but conceded that however frustrating it was for him to watch, his team should have done more.
Guardiola refused to discuss the controversial incident in the first half that saw Henderson not sent off despite handling the ball outside the box as he pushed the ball away from a dangerous area as Erling Haaland charged onto it. The Video Assistant Referee deemed that it was not denying a goalscoring opportunity, although most others disagreed.
Asked for his thoughts on the incident, the City manager refused to get into it as he maintained his stance of not commenting on refereeing or VAR decisions. He was more bothered by the timewasting that he thought Henderson engaged in that broke up the rhythm of his team as they pressed for an equaliser.
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VAR verdict
Wayne Rooney felt Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson should have been sent off for handball outside the box in the FA Cup final against Manchester City.
Henderson slapped the ball away from in front of City striker Erling Haaland with the striker bearing down on goal. Referee Stuart Atwell didn't give a decision on the field but a VAR check led to a pause in play while VAR official Jarred Gillet scrutinised the play.
Ultimately, the officials decided that the direction in which Haaland is going made it a possible but not an obvious goalscoring opportunity and so Henderson was spared a dismissal. He went on to save a penalty from Omar Marmoush later in the first half after Bernardo Silva was felled in the box.
And Rooney, analysing the game for BBC One, was flabbergasted that Henderson hadn't seen red for the handball.
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Claudio call
Pep Guardiola defended his decision to hand Claudio Echeverri his Manchester City debut in the FA Cup final. The winter arrival from River Plate had not made a matchday squad before Saturday but earned a place among the replacements ahead of more established teammates and then came off the bench ahead of Jack Grealish and Ilkay Gundogan.
Echeverri had a lively cameo, going close with a couple of shots and earning a booking for a heavy challenge in his 25 minutes on the pitch. The young Argentine made more of an impact than Phil Foden, who was brought on at the same time.
However, it was still a decision that took many by surprise and City left Wembley defeated after being unable to respond to Eberechi Eze's first-half goal. Guardiola was happy with the performance both from Echeverri and his whole team, just rueful that they could not take any of the chances that they created.
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