Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has faced criticism following a confrontation with Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson after his team's defeat in the FA Cup final
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Pep Guardiola and Dean Henderson
Pep Guardiola has been criticised over his exchange with Dean Henderson
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has been slammed as "a baby" and labelled "pathetic" following a heated exchange with Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson.
The pair were involved in a tense confrontation at full-time in the FA Cup final at Wembley, where City were stunned by a 1-0 defeat. Henderson proved pivotal for Palace as they claimed their first major trophy in their history, making a vital penalty save and numerous key stops following Eberechi Eze's early strike.
Controversy arose when Henderson seemed to handle the ball outside his area in the first half but avoided dismissal after a review from VAR. The tension escalated post-match as a visibly irate Guardiola approached Henderson over claims of him time-wasting, resulting in a clash that had to be defused by others.
During the fracas, Guardiola was observed gesturing towards Henderson who then proceeded to join his teammates in celebrations. Ex-Manchester United and Wrexham keeper Ben Foster has now criticised the Catalan manager on his Fozcast podcast.
He said: "At the end of the game at full time, Pep Guardiola came on the pitch, and I think he was a bit of a baby. It's pathetic, though. It's the FA Cup final and what does he expect Dean Henderson to do?".
"Yeah, he should have been sent off and he shouldn't have even been on the pitch. And yes, he was time-wasting a little bit at the end of the game. But what do you want him to do? He's not going to get the ball back and get it going as quickly as he possibly can."
Pep Guardiola and Dean Henderson
Pep Guardiola and Dean Henderson had to be separated after clashing on the pitch after the FA Cup final
He added: "What Palace did for the last 20 minutes of that game is the same as any team would have done. I'm talking about Arsenal, Liverpool and Man United.
"If they're clinging on to that 1-0 lead at Wembley in the FA Cup final, you are clinging on for dear life, and you do what you've got to do. It is what it is, but don't come on the pitch at full time being a baby."
The pair were spotted exchanging words at the end of the match before Palace coaching staff intervened. The Eagles' No. 2 goalkeeper, Matt Turner, kept Guardiola away while manager Oliver Glasner held Henderson back.
Dean Henderson
Dean Henderson was the hero against City(Image: Sebastian Frej/Getty Images)
The shot-stopper later opened up about the incident during a post-match interview with ITV. "I just went to shake his hand, but he was disappointed by the time-wasting," Henderson said. "But no hard feelings."
Meanwhile, Guardiola gave short shrift to questions about his exchange of views with Henderson. On the red card decision, Guardiola said simply: "Ask the referee," before adding that he had "nothing" to say about the post-match incident.
However, Foster claimed he was relieved that Henderson was not given his marching orders, suggesting it would have wrecked the occasion. "It would have ruined the game and would have ruined everybody's Saturday afternoon - I'll take human error all the time," he said.
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