Pep Guardiola insisted Manchester City had no time to savour their 1-0 victory over Chelsea in the FA Cup final, with the Premier League title still to be decided. Antoine Semenyo’s 72nd-minute backheel settled the Wembley final, securing a second trophy of the season for City following April’s Carabao Cup success.
Guardiola, whose side travel to Bournemouth on Tuesday for their penultimate league match, said there would be no celebrations. “Home [now] – not even one beer,” he said. “Next Monday after Aston Villa, we’re going to celebrate it with the women’s team.” He also highlighted the physical toll, noting Chelsea had seven days to prepare while City had three, and that Friday’s journey was a “nightmare” with six hours spent travelling because of train problems.
City trail Arsenal by two points in the title race, with Arsenal hosting Burnley on Monday before facing Crystal Palace on the final day. City, who welcome Aston Villa in their last match, could still overhaul the leaders if they win their remaining games. Guardiola remained noncommittal about his future, saying: “The moment the fire decreases, then we will go home. I am a funny guy.” Saturday's win was the 20th trophy of his decade at the club.
Guardiola reflected on the margins in finals, having lost the previous two FA Cup finals, and suggested officiating had been decisive. “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,” he said. “The decisions always make the difference.” Semenyo, who joined from Bournemouth in January, described his goal: “It has happened a couple of times in training – it happened perfectly today... I had to improvise as quickly as I can.”
Chelsea manager Calum McFarlane felt his side deserved a penalty when Jorrel Hato went down under Abdukodir Khusanov's challenge. “They are tough calls, but for me the collision is a foul,” he said. McFarlane 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.” Semenyo added: “I have never competed for trophies like this before, so everything is new. Hopefully, we can finish the job off.”
