Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has attributed Dean Henderson’s “time-wasting” in the 2025 FA Cup final partly to the goalkeeper being British – and said the decision for Omar Marmoush to be given the Cityzens’ penalty in their 1-0 defeat was made between the newcomer and regular taker Erling Haaland.
Henderson, who turned away Marmoush’s first-half spot kick shortly after being fortunate to avoid a red card for handling the ball outside his penalty area, made a string of fine saves before appearing to engage in a verbal disagreement with Guardiola after the full-time whistle in Palace’s first major trophy triumph.
“Listen, he defends his position and we defend our position,” said Guardiola, who will finish a season without a major trophy for the first time since his first campaign at the club in 2016/17. “He’s British. I’m sorry – everyone can do what they want.
“[Players] decide [who will take penalties] on the pitch. I didn’t speak with them. That moment is [about] how they’re feeling. They saw Omar was ready to take it. I think Omar took a lot of time with the ball… the goalkeeper made a good save.”
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FA Cup final 2025: Guardiola congratulates Palace
Haaland, who has missed three of his seven penalties in all competitions in 2024/25 including one at Bournemouth in the quarter-finals, appeared to decide against taking the opportunity, kissing the ball and Marmoush’s head while handing the opportunity to the Egypt striker.
While it was unclear whether City had arranged before the game for Haaland to step aside from duties, there appeared to be less confusion over Henderson’s indiscretion when he had pawed the ball outside the box to stop the two-time Premier League golden boot winner from breaking through, but a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review ended in no action being taken.
“Don’t ask me about the VAR or the referee [Stuart Attwell],” said Guardiola. “We didn’t lose because Henderson was time-wasting.
“It’s a question of rhythm. All the fans are there to see the 22 players play. When you see Barcelona now, they are ‘attack, attack, attack, attack’, and the other team are [too]. It’s beautiful.
This exchange between Pep Guardiola and Dean Henderson 👀#FACup pic.twitter.com/JaXxmyGNpR
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) May 17, 2025
“But I understand Henderson’s position – it’s a question for the referee. I understand when it’s [late], but I don’t feel it. My team play the game like the people deserve to watch.
“Saying that, congratulations to Henderson and Crystal Palace, because they defended really, really well at the end and were able to score a goal.”
Crystal Palace vs Man City
In an action-packed final, City – the dominant team in English football between 2017 and 2024, entering their third straight FA Cup final – began with an abundance of possession and shots on goal, Haaland among the players denied by excellent Henderson saves.
Palace spent much of the game under pressure but scored with their first meaningful attack when Eberechi Eze fired in first time from inside the box in the 16th minute, meeting Daniel Munoz’s cross with a fierce right-footed finish beyond Ederson for his sixth goal in five appearances.
Guardiola used Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva as his holding midfielders because Mateo Kovacic “didn’t feel good” and said City had “played much, much better” than they did in their 5-2 home win over Palace in the Premier League last month and their 2-1 defeat to Manchester United in last year’s final.
SAVED BY HENDERSON 🚫
Omar Marmoush misses from the spot ❌#FACup pic.twitter.com/PfvBowkW6V
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) May 17, 2025
“We didn’t suffer right defensively,” he added. “We could not find [De Bruyne] in the positions we wanted. The game plan didn’t work because we didn’t win.
“Against Southampton [in a 0-0 draw last Saturday], I had a bad, bad feeling, but today I didn’t.
“Of course we are sad… with the anthem, stadium and crowds, it’s a beautiful, lovely day.”
2025 FA Cup final: Man City ‘had the chances’
City finished with more than 78% of possession, six of the eight attempts on target between the teams and 23 of the 30 efforts in all, although Palace might have scored a second when Munoz’s second-half goal was ruled out because Ismaila Sarr was offside.
There was a sense of desperation to the introduction of 19-year-old debutant Claudio Echeverri in place of Marmoush 14 minutes from time, although the Argentina youth international was one of several players to have shots blocked inside the box during the closing stages.
“My inspiration,” Guardiola smiled when he was asked about the surprise involvement of Echeveri. “I’m a talented manager.
“I want to be honest, it was not a bad decision with the way he played and the chances he had. He had three chances in small spaces.
“I saw him in training sessions. He’s moving really, really well in small spaces and is really creative in that. You have to find something in these types of games, dribbling and finding one-twos.
“Crystal Palace love [defending] crosses. He’s normally so clever and precise. We had the chances, but unfortunately we could not score.”
