Pep Guardiola has described officiating decisions as a "flip of a coin" and insists his Manchester City players must elevate their game to overcome such unpredictability. The manager's comments come amid renewed scrutiny of refereeing and the video assistant referee (VAR) system following a controversial incident in West Ham's 1-0 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday.
Controversial Decision at London Stadium
In that match, West Ham's Callum Wilson had a late goal disallowed after the referee, Chris Kavanagh, initially awarded the strike. However, following a review at the pitchside monitor prompted by VAR official Darren England, Kavanagh overturned his decision, ruling that a foul had been committed on Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya. The result leaves Arsenal on 79 points, five ahead of City with two matches remaining. Even if Guardiola's side win their three remaining games, they may not overhaul Mikel Arteta's team.
Guardiola's Past Grievances
Guardiola refrained from commenting directly on the Wilson incident but pointed to City's defeats in the last two FA Cup finals, against Manchester United and Crystal Palace, as evidence of officiating failures. In the 2024 final, Erling Haaland was denied a penalty after appearing to be pushed by Lisandro Martinez, and later a similar incident involving Kobbie Mainoo also went unpunished. In the 2025 final, Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson handled the ball outside the area but received only a yellow card, as he was deemed not to have denied a clear goalscoring opportunity.
"The only thing we can do is do it better – that is only in your control," Guardiola said. "We lost the two finals of the FA Cup because the referees didn't do their jobs they should do, even the VAR. When this happens it is because we have to do better, not the referees or VAR."
Focus on Performance
The City boss emphasised that he has never relied on external factors since arriving at the club. "I never trust anything since I arrived a long time ago. Always I learned you have to do it better – be in a position to do it better because [if not] you blame yourself with what you have to do, because [VAR] is a flip of a coin. You have to do better and better for yourself, and that is focusing on Crystal Palace for us."
City face Crystal Palace on Wednesday evening, followed by trips to Bournemouth and Aston Villa. "We play in this game, we go to Bournemouth and the last game in Aston Villa. The important one is tomorrow and we will see what happens to the next games. I always learned that when you lose focus, you are in a dangerous situation," Guardiola added.
Injury Concerns
Abdukodir Khusanov and Rodri are doubts for the Palace match due to injury. Rodri has been sidelined since sustaining a groin strain in last month's win over Arsenal. Asked if the midfielder could miss next month's World Cup, Guardiola replied: "No. Well, there is a chance if [Luis] de la Fuente [Spain's head coach] doesn't pick him. But, we'll take care of him."
