Guardiola Reflects on Manchester City's 2-1 Defeat to Manchester United in FA Cup Final

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has explained why his team lost 2-1 to Manchester United in the FA Cup final on Saturday. The match, held at Wembley Stadium, saw Manchester United triumph with goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo, while Jeremy Doku scored a late goal for City.

After the game, Guardiola spoke to BBC Sport, highlighting that his team did not perform well in the first half against Manchester United. He noted that City did not play with the intent to defeat United specifically but focused on their own game. Guardiola remarked,

Guardiola acknowledged that Manchester United, known for their strong transition play for decades, outplayed City in the first half. However, he felt that City improved in the second half. "The second half we were there. United are always a transition team, they have been for 10, 20, 30 years.

[In the] first half we struggled a bit but second half we were better. In general it was a good performance for a final," he said. Guardiola concluded by noting that despite their efforts, City could not score more goals, allowing United to secure the victory with their two goals.