With 95 minutes played, and another attack broken down, Pep Guardiola turned to the Manchester City fans at Wembley, urging them to give his side one last burst of energy.
It didn’t come, and Manchester United saw out a win that, truthfully, they needed more than City. Not that it would hurt any less for the Blues.
Pep Guardiola cut a frustrated figure on the touchline at Wembley, 12 months on from one of his most memorable triumphs as City manager. The mood at Sunday’s Premier League trophy parade may be a little subdued with just one end-of-season trophy to show for the campaign that followed the treble.
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City won three trophies in 2023/24, but will look back at the FA Cup final as the one that got away. The worst United side in years finally put together a performance resembling a competent football team and City were so stunned they had no response. They were masters of their own downfall with two calamitous goals sealing the cup for United and potentially saving Erik Ten Hag’s job.
Guardiola cast doubt on his City future past 2025 after leading them to a fourth title in a row last week, setting a new English football record. He was excited by the prospect of adding back-to-back doubles to that record collection here, but couldn’t manage it. The Catalan will go on a well-deserved holiday on Monday, before returning for the final year of his contract in July.
He plans to honour that deal, and hasn’t ruled out staying, but he did say that he is currently unsure if he can find the motivation to keep going next season. He also said he was sure that motivation would present itself when the dust settles on this season. United might have pointed him in the right direction at Wembley.
“It’s obvious”, said Guardiola, how far ahead of United City are in the league, but he stressed a cup final would be different. He was right. As he walked out at Wembley he will have seen City proudly declare their four-in-a-row success. At the other end, United displayed a banner with all the trophies they have ever won.
It was an attempt to remind City of their historic achievements given they are so far behind in the last decade. United closed the gap with a deserved win at Wembley, and Guardiola showed his frustrations throughout.
At full-time, he waited for Lisandro Martinez to put Ten Hag back down on two feet, shook his opponents’ hand, and made his way to the officials – ensuring Erling Haaland didn’t get himself in trouble after the game. He then made his way around the despondent City players to shake each of their hands as they stared aimlessly towards the Blues fans heading for the exits.
He stared at the United celebrations, envious, despite lifting six trophies in the last 12 months. His irritances from the final will linger, but Guardiola can look back on the season knowing it has been a success for the World Champions. He insisted that a final day slip-up wouldn’t change his opinion about City’s league campaign, so this defeat will not either.
But it will remind him that City have still not reached perfection, and that could be the motivation he was looking for (as well as the chance to set more records next year with a fifth title in a row).