- Pep Guardiola discussed referees and VAR
- Man City have lost their last two FA Cup finals
- The Blues face Chelsea at Wembley this weekend
Manchester City are heading into another decisive week with Pep Guardiola’s previous FA Cup final frustration still clearly fresh in his mind.
City are preparing for a major run of fixtures that will define their season. Crystal Palace is first up in the Premier League before attention turns to Saturday’s FA Cup final against Chelsea.
Guardiola’s side have made Wembley a familiar destination in recent years. However, the competition has not always been kind to them.
After winning the trophy in 2023, City lost the following two finals. First, they lost to rivals Manchester United in 2024, then again to Crystal Palace last season.
Now, with the final approaching, Guardiola has revisited those painful moments while discussing the wider issue.
Pep Guardiola makes FA Cup final VAR claim
Speaking via Hayters TV, Guardiola felt that City were on the wrong end of major decisions in the last two finals.
However, the City boss did not use that as an excuse for his side. Instead, the Catalan manager took responsibility and focused on what they could control.
“We lost two FA Cup finals because the referees didn’t do their jobs. Even the VAR. When that happens, you have to do better, not for the referees and VAR,” Guardiola claimed.
He added, “I’ve never trusted anything since I arrived [here] a long time ago. Always I’ve learnt that you have to do it better. If you are in that position, do it better because we have to blame ourselves.”
“That is what you have to do, because that is a [flip of a] coin. And you have to do better, better for yourself.”
What went wrong for Man City against Manchester United
A poor first half shaped Man City’s 2024 FA Cup final defeat to Man United. Despite dominating possession by a large margin, United had three times as many shots on target as City in the first 45.
Regardless, Guardiola’s frustration with the officials is understandable. The biggest early incident came when Erling Haaland went down in the penalty area after contact from Lisandro Martinez.
Referee Andy Madley waved away the Sky Blues’ appeals, and VAR did not send him to the monitor. Had the Citizens been awarded an early penalty, the emotional direction of the final could have changed completely.
Nevertheless, the Red Devils scored first on the 30th-minute mark and doubled their lead nine minutes later. Jeremy Doku could only salvage a consolation in the second half, and United ended up lifting the trophy.
Regardless, Guardiola’s self-accountability is important as City had enough time to respond but failed. In the second half, despite taking 16 shots, the Carabao Cup winners only had three on target.
Dean Henderson decision still haunts Crystal Palace final
Man City were awarded a penalty in the 2025 final, but Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson ended up denying Omar Marmoush.
However, there was a major controversy before the penalty when Henderson had appeared to handle the ball outside his penalty area while stopping a City attack.
VAR reviewed the incident but did not recommend a red card, allowing the Palace goalkeeper to stay on the pitch.
Nevertheless, Guardiola’s wider message still applies. Despite six shots on target, City didn’t manage to score a single goal in the whole game.
Regardless, against Chelsea, the Carabao Cup winners will be looking to change this. Guardiola will be keen on converting chances instead of just dominating possession this Saturday.
