Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson was at the centre of a number of controversies during Man City's FA Cup final defeat on Saturday afternoon
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Head coach Pep Guardiola of Manchester City and Dean Henderson of Crystal Palace having words with each other
Dean Henderson and Pep Guardiola exchanged angry words following the FA Cup final on Saturday
(Image: Getty Images)
Dean Henderson's cheeky post-match comment to Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola became the focus of a heated exchange after the FA Cup final.
The Crystal Palace goalkeeper, formerly of Manchester United, played a huge role in the outcome of the match. Henderson seemed to commit a handball offence outside the box in the first half, but both the referee and VAR officials did not deem it worthy of sending him off.
His importance for the Eagles was undeniable as he stopped Omar Marmoush's penalty for City and made several key saves, aiding Palace in clinching their first ever FA Cup final victory with a 1-0 win. The tension escalated when Henderson was seen involved in an intense conversation with Guardiola following the game.
Amidst the elation of winning, Henderson disclosed to ITV Sport what transpired in their exchange. He said: "I just went to shake his hand but obviously I think he was disappointed with the time wasting. I said 'you got the 10 minutes that you wanted'. No hard feelings."
When addressed about the contentious decision to not send him off, he admitted to having little awareness of the incident under review.
He admitted: "I didn't know it was for me in all honesty. I knew it came into the box. I wasn't sure what they were doing it for. I asked Chilly down the side who they were doing it for and he said yeah but who cares? It doesn't matter. I'm not bothered."
Henderson confessed that he had anticipated the direction of Marmoush's penalty, although he was less certain about what would have happened if Erling Haaland had taken the penalty at Wembley.
He revealed: "To be fair, Haaland might have stepped up. He gave it to Marmoush and I knew which way he was going. I knew I would save it."
Putting aside the match's contentious moments, Henderson took a moment to honour his late father with Palace's triumph. In an emotional statement to BBC Sport, he shared: "I lost my dad at the start of the season, but he was with me today. He was with me every kick of the game. I dedicate that win to him."
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