Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola opened up on his clash with Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson at the end of the 1-0 defeat in the FA Cup final on Saturday.
Guardiola exchanged angry words with Henderson on the pitch after the final whistle, and was still frustrated in his post-match press conference.
Henderson was fortunate to escape a red card for handling the ball outside the 18-yard box before saving Omar Marmoush’s penalty in the first half.
The former Manchester United goalkeeper was also involved in time-wasting antics late in the encounter.
Guardiola was frustrated by Henderson’s time-wasting antics in the encounter.
He said: “Listen, he defended his position, we defended our position. I understand in the last minutes, but since the first or second minutes? He’s British, you know, in the 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. But it’s a question of rhythm for the players.
“It’s a game for all the fans. So, when you see Barcelona now, they’re losing and it’s attack, attack. And the other team, attack, attack. The show is beautiful.
“I understand Henderson’s position. I don’t feel it. So, my teams have never tried because I try to play the game like the people deserve to watch. That’s all.”
Meanwhile, Dean Henderson also shared his own side of the story.
He said: “I just went to shake his hand but obviously I think he was disappointed with the time-wasting. I said, ‘You got your 10 minutes you were wanting’. No hard feelings.”
Man City had nearly 80 percent possession, and 23 shots but failed to make it count as they lost a second successive FA Cup final following last season’s defeat against Manchester United.
Guardiola congratulated Man City while praising his players for their performance in the final.
He said: “We didn’t score, so congratulations Crystal Palace for the victory. They played a good defensive game.
“We controlled the transitions apart from the goal. With 11 players in the penalty box for them, we created a lot.
“Every action Palace took time, the goal-kicks, the rhythm, it is difficult to come back. The chances were there but it was difficult to score.
“We were really good at many things. But we didn’t score and that’s why we didn’t win.”
Crystal Palace will now represent England in the Europa League after winning the FA Cup trophy-their first major trophy in 120 years.
Pep Guardiola will end the season trophyless for the second time in his career while Man City will also end the season without a trophy for the first time since the 2016-17 season.
