Pep Guardiola refused to shake Crystal Palace player’s hand after FA Cup final – player explains why
Pep Guardiola refused to shake the hand of one of the Crystal Palace players after the FA Cup final.
Pep Guardiola chose to shun a Crystal Palace star after the FA Cup final, stooping to a real low in the wake of FA Cup final defeat. Crystal Palace defeated Manchester City 1-0 to win their first-ever FA Cup and major trophy, while they also secured their first-ever qualification for a European competition.
Eberechi Eze turned home an excellent team goal in the first leg in what was a dramatic first half. Dean Henderson probably should have been sent off after pushing the ball away from Erling Haaland with his hand outside the box. The Palace goalkeeper then turned hero when he denied Omar Marmoush from the spot and went on to produce another superb save before the first-half had finished.
The Eagles defended excellently in the second half, keeping Manchester City at bay and, it must be said, relatively comfortably. There were some dangerous moments from City, but they failed to drum up the sort of cutting edge they showed at times in the first half, albeit still not often enough.
It was a passionately fought final, and we saw some spice on the sideline when Palace coach Paddy McCarthy had a bust-up with the Manchester City coaching staff. The ITV commentary team also claimed that McCarthy had a fallout with City boss Guardiola in the tunnel at some point during half-time.
After the game, Palace erupted into celebration after making history, but City were left heartbroken in the midst of a trophyless season, and Guardiola was not a happy man. While the City boss shook hands with most of the Palace players, who was shown by the ITV cameras telling Henderson to stay away, clearly upset with the controversial incident.
Palace’s number two keeper Matthew Turner then approached Guardiola with a smile on his face, hoping to play peace-keeper, but Guardiola was not interested. You would hope Guardiola puts that situation right after the game.
While Henderson should have been sent off, he did what he had to do in the moment and took his chances. That’s what a competitive player does, and the decision made by the officials is out of his control. Ultimately, Henderson did what Guardiola would have patted his goalkeeper on the back for if it meant winning the final, whether that’s the handball or wasting time towards the end of the game.
Speaking after the game, Henderson said of the moment: “I went to shake his hand and he said he was disappointed with the time wasting. I said ‘you got your 10 minutes, didn’t you? But there we go.”
On the win, the keeper said: “Incredible. We had a feeling it would be our day today. The manager got a gameplan and we executed it. We deserve this so much.” On his penalty save, he added: “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.”
On that key handball moment, the Palace stopper said: “The ball carried into my box and I knew it was fine – who cares?”
Speaking on BBC Sport after the game, pundit Wayne Rooney said: “First half, they sat in and had a few chances. Second half Man City kept pushing and the way they defended. Dean Henderson made some crucial saves. Palace knew they would have to come here and work hard. Sometimes things are meant to happen and meant to be. Palace were outstanding today.”
