Pep Guardiola says Man City were ‘hungover’ in FA Cup final defeat to Erik ten Hag’s Man Utd
Manchester City suffered a shock FA Cup final loss back in May and Pep Guardiola has claimed for the first time that his side were hungover during their defeat to Manchester United
Pep Guardiola has claimed that Manchester City were “a little bit hungover” when they lost the FA Cup final to Manchester United.
The Etihad outfit were heavy favourites to retain their crown when they took on their local rivals at Wembley at the end of last season. They were looking to become the first team to retain the double, but were stunned by Erik ten Hag’s side in the capital.
First-half goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo were enough to see United through to a 2-1 win despite constant City pressure in the second-half. The date at Wembley came just six days as Guardiola’s side had made history with another Premier League triumph.
They became the first time in history to win it four times on the trot and celebrated after their final day success. Guardiola gave few excuses on the day at Wembley but now has claimed his team were hungover – following their first loss of the season at Tottenham.
The Catalan said: “This is the news, not that we lose, but how long it has been since we lose. Of course, with the FA Cup final we were a little bit hungover, but it is good news.”
At the time of the loss, Guardiola took ownership for the loss and claimed: “It’s my mistake – the game plan was not good. The players know it, the reason why. Tactically, it was not good. I had the feeling it was not good today. You plan a game for different positions, but didn’t work – it’s as simple as that.”
The City boss also said: “In football and in life, you win and you lose. We lost in the right way, especially in the second half, as they [the players] didn’t give up and kept going.”
The victory for the Red Devils, in the eyes of many, kept Ten Hag in a job. The Dutchman had presided over a poor league campaign as the team finished eighth and there was talk of him getting the sack. With Sir Jim Ratcliffe in attendance though the underdogs produced a shock.
That victory only delayed the inevitable and earlier this week Ten Hag was given the boot after a poor start to the campaign. The club’s former manager had continued to point to his trophy record when criticised having won silverware in both his seasons at the helm.
