Man City’s FA Cup final plan was not good, says Guardiola

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola rarely puts a foot wrong but he took the blame as his side were deprived of a second successive English double by a shock 2-1 loss to Manchester United in the FA Cup final on Saturday.

City saw grey skies turn to blue on Sunday as they celebrated a record fourth successive Premier League title, with fans pouring into the streets of the city to cheer on their heroes once again for an open-top bus parade.

City proved their mettle by ending the league title race in style with a 3-1 win over West Ham United on the final day of the season to finish on 91 points, two more than Arsenal, and become the first English club to win four league titles in a row.

Players and staff waved to fans as confetti rained down and blue smoke flares were lit along the route of the open-top bus, just hours after thousands of people took part in the Great Manchester Run.

A week after wrapping up an unprecedented fourth EPL title in a row, City were huge favourites to saunter past rivals United in the Wembley sunshine in the FA Cup last match.

But their 35-match unbeaten run in all competitions in open play ended as first-half goals by teenagers Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo proved enough for United to end their disappointing season on a huge high.

“Congratulations to Manchester United for winning the FA Cup. I think my game plan was not good,” Guardiola, who has won 15 major trophies for City since taking over in 2016, said after the final.

“The second half was much, much better. We were more intense, in part because we were 2-0 down and had nothing to lose. It was a tight game.

“In general, it was a good performance considering the final, but sometimes this happens. We don't play against United, we play for ourselves.”

Guardiola elected to change his central defensive pairing with John Stones returning alongside Nathan Ake but his side looked unusually vulnerable as United's plan to attack quickly on the break worked a treat.

City did find their usual tempo in the second half when Jeremy Doku came on and laid siege to United's goal but Doku's goal proved too late to salvage their hopes of becoming the first club to win the double in successive seasons.

They did have the Uefa Super Cup and Fifa Club World Cup titles to add to their collection this season, however, so while defeat will sting, especially to United, it will only take a little of the gloss off their campaign.

“Disappointed today, it's normal teams can lose finals but this season has been extraordinary fighting for all the trophies in a good way,” Guardiola said.

“We will rest and come back next season.”

Neither the weather nor the anticlimax of the ceremony taking place the day after the FA Cup defeat could dampen the spirits on Sunday as flags, bananas and even a blow-up Jack Grealish dummy were held aloft in triumph.

“We're delighted with this season but we want to go back and try to win more,” said player of the year Phil Foden, who scored 19 league goals.

“It's the hunger inside me to win trophies. We have a great group. It's been a special season. Obviously it's something nobody's done before, an incredible feeling, we couldn't have done it without the staff or the fans.”

City's ambition to keep winning trophies, and the disappointment of losing the FA Cup, was also echoed by Portugal international Bernardo Silva.

“Obviously last night was frustrating but we have to forget that and celebrate four in a row. It’s been a very good season for us,” he said.

Guardiola, named Premier League manager of the year, smiled for the fans and was thrilled with the celebrations despite taking the blame for his side missing out on a second successive domestic double. 

Reuters