Manchester City lost in the FA Cup final, marking their first trophy-less season in 8 seasons since the 2016-2017 season. The atmosphere within the team has significantly shaken as a result.
On the 18th (Korean time), Manchester City lost 0-1 to Crystal Palace in the 2024-2025 season FA Cup final held at Wembley Stadium in London, England.
With this victory, Palace secured their first major tournament trophy since their founding in 1905. Until now, they had only won the EFL Championship (second tier) and League One (third tier). In terms of the FA Cup alone, this is their first victory in 164 years since its establishment in 1871. With this victory, Palace will compete in the UEFA Europa League (UEL) for the first time next season.
Palace, who held on, struck first with a counterattack. In the 16th minute of the first half, Muñoz sprinted down the right flank and crossed into the box. Eze finished it off with a non-stop shot, finding the back of the net.
A controversial moment occurred. In the 23rd minute of the first half, during a counterattack opportunity for Manchester City, Gvardiol sent an accurate long pass forward, and Haaland sprinted behind the defensive line. However, Henderson swiftly cleared the ball with his hands. In slow motion, it appeared as if Henderson's hand was outside the box, but the referee continued the match.
Manchester City missed a golden opportunity to equalize. In the 33rd minute of the first half, Silva was tripped by Mitchell inside the box, and the referee immediately declared a penalty kick. The usual kicker, Haaland, deferred to Marušić, who took the kick. However, Marušić's shot was saved by Henderson.
Palace's goal remained unbreached until the end. In stoppage time, De Bruyne's long-range shot went wide of the goalpost, and Echeverri's shot was also blocked by Henderson. The match ultimately ended with Palace's 1-0 victory.
However, there were criticisms claiming that Palace held onto the victory due to a referee error. In the 23rd minute, Henderson's hurried handball was seen to occur just outside the box from the side, leading to this reaction.
It was a scene that could have easily resulted in a red card. However, both referee Stuart Attwell and the video assistant referee (VAR) officials overlooked it. For Manchester City, the chance to exploit a numerical advantage for nearly 70 minutes with the opposing goalkeeper’s dismissal was lost.
According to British 'Sky Sports', VAR officials recognized that Henderson committed a handball foul. However, they deemed it not a 'clear goal-scoring opportunity' since the ball had gone wide of the goal and did not issue a red card. Warnings or fouls are not subject to VAR review, hence no foul was declared.
British 'BBC' reported, "Henderson's handball foul occurred just outside the box, and the ball rolled towards the corner flag, not the goal. If Henderson hadn't used his hands, Haaland may have taken a shot, but the defense was quickly covering." They added, "A goalkeeper's handball foul does not guarantee a red card. VAR only intervenes when there is a clear denial of a goal-scoring opportunity, and they concluded that this incident did not constitute grounds for dismissal."
With this defeat, Guardiola marked his second-ever trophy-less season in his career. He said, "I'm not the referee," indicating that he did not want to discuss the controversy. However, after the match, he expressed his feelings by refusing to shake hands with Henderson.
Former Manchester City player Joleon Lescott also expressed his anger. He said, "This is the worst decision I've seen in football. Not because of the decision itself, but because of the explanation. To think that the player who has scored the most goals among us was not given a goal-scoring opportunity is absurd."
Rival Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney also chined in. He commented, "This is 100% a red card. How can you get this wrong? If that's the case, just get rid of VAR. They made a mistake and now they are trying to cover it up. Everyone can see it is a red card," he added. Roy Keane also stated, "Palace had immense luck today."
Regardless of the referee's decision, Bernardo Silva, who started and showed good form, pointed out his teammates in a direct interview. He said, "You learn new things in tough moments. More than anything, it seems you realize who you should be with. Because you find out who is real in times of crisis."
This comment clearly mentions teammates. When an interviewer asked if it was a "critique of team players," Silva responded, "I don’t want to carelessly speak my personal opinions," but he did not deny the question, stating he wants to reveal everything slowly regarding his remarks.
Ultimately, Silva's remarks targeted specific colleagues regarding the overall poor performance of the team this season. This statement inevitably raises further interest in the rumored discord within Manchester City. Fans are keenly watching how the discord among Manchester City players will play out in this crisis situation.
[Photo] ⓒGettyimages (Unauthorized reproduction and redistribution prohibited), BBC, Manchester Planet social media.
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