Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has come under fire following a fiery confrontation with Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson after City’s 1-0 defeat in the FA Cup final at Wembley.
The tension boiled over at full-time, with Guardiola exchanging sharp words with Henderson on the pitch. The Palace keeper had just helped secure the club’s first-ever major trophy, pulling off a stunning penalty save and several key stops after Eberechi Eze’s early goal.
Despite his heroics, Henderson was fortunate to remain on the pitch after a first-half incident where he appeared to handle the ball outside the box. A VAR check ruled out a red card, much to the dismay of City and their boss.
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Guardiola appeared incensed after the final whistle, seemingly accusing Henderson of time-wasting during the closing stages. As Henderson joined his teammates to celebrate, Guardiola approached him angrily, prompting intervention from both clubs’ staff to defuse the situation.
Former Manchester United and Wrexham goalkeeper Ben Foster didn’t hold back in his criticism of Guardiola, calling him out on his podcast. “At full-time, Pep came on the pitch – and honestly, I think he was being a bit of a baby,” Foster said. “It’s pathetic. It’s the FA Cup final. What does he expect Dean to do?”
Foster added: “Yes, Dean was time-wasting and probably should’ve been sent off, but every team would do the same. Arsenal, Liverpool, United – they’d all protect a 1-0 lead in a final. You don’t see their managers storming onto the pitch and acting like that.”
Palace’s assistant coach Matt Turner and manager Oliver Glasner had to step in to separate the two men as the row escalated. Henderson later downplayed the incident, telling ITV: “I just went to shake his hand, but he was disappointed by the time-wasting. No hard feelings.”
Guardiola, when asked about the incident post-match, refused to elaborate, simply saying, “Ask the referee,” and adding he had “nothing” more to say.
Foster concluded that the decision not to send Henderson off was the right one. “It would’ve ruined the game. I’ll take human error over a spoiled final any day,” he said.
The fallout adds another dramatic layer to a historic day for Crystal Palace — and a frustrating one for City.
