Pep Guardiola has insisted there will be no celebrations for Manchester City's FA Cup final victory over Chelsea, with the Premier League title still at stake. The 1-0 win at Wembley, secured by Antoine Semenyo's 72nd-minute backheel, gave City their second trophy of the season following the Carabao Cup, but Guardiola said the focus must remain on Tuesday's trip to Bournemouth.
“Home now – not even one beer,” Guardiola said. “There is no time to celebrate. Chelsea had seven days to prepare for the final, we had three days and yesterday was a nightmare. We spent six hours from the city to here. The trains are a little bit of a problem in this country.” He added that a joint celebration with the women's team is planned for the Monday after the final league match against Aston Villa.
City trail Arsenal by two points with two games remaining, and Guardiola was coy when asked about his future amid speculation he could leave this summer. “The moment the fire decreases, then we will go home. I am a funny guy,” he said. “This year I have been really good. Last season was the toughest season for many reasons.”
The win was Guardiola's 20th trophy in a decade at City, including three Community Shields. He acknowledged the fine margins in cup finals, having lost the previous two. “I had a feeling last season against Palace and two seasons before against United that we were better than today, but in these type of games the margins were so minor. The decisions always make the difference and now I'm sitting here as the winner.”
Semenyo, who joined from Bournemouth in January, described his goal as an improvisation. “It has happened a couple of times in training – it happened perfectly today. Everything happened so fast. It came straight to me and I had to improvise as quickly as I can.” He added: “As a kid I have always wanted to be playing for the top teams – it took a long time to get there, but I am grateful.”
Chelsea manager Calum McFarlane felt his side should have had a penalty when Jorrel Hato went down under a challenge from Abdukodir Khusanov. “They are tough calls, but for me the collision is a foul,” he said. He praised his team's performance: “We went toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in the world and there was very little between them.”
