A heated confrontation took place on the pitch between Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola and Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson following Crystal Palace`s FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.
The incident occurred after Eberechi Eze`s goal in the 16th minute secured the win, marking Crystal Palace`s first major trophy in a thrilling match at Wembley.
Manchester City dominated possession throughout the game, but Palace defended robustly, adopting tactics likened to the Spartans, and looked dangerous on the counter-attack.
A controversial moment involved Henderson handling the ball outside his area. He narrowly avoided a red card after a VAR review, with the decision standing as a free kick.
Shortly after this reprieve, Henderson saved a penalty taken by Omar Marmoush.
He also drew attention during the second half by wearing a baseball cap to help with the sun, which was noted by commentator John Murray.
After the final whistle, as Crystal Palace celebrated their historic win, holding off City`s intense pressure in the final 10 minutes of added time, cameras quickly focused on Guardiola and Henderson exchanging angry words.
Neither the manager nor the goalkeeper seemed willing to back down. Guardiola appeared particularly upset as Henderson celebrated the victory with enthusiasm.
The Palace goalkeeper was eventually moved away from the confrontation before embracing his manager, Oliver Glasner.
However, Guardiola was seen continuing the discussion and even pointed a finger at Henderson before finally walking off the pitch.
Speaking later, Henderson explained that the Manchester City boss was reportedly upset about perceived time-wasting tactics by the Crystal Palace side.
Henderson stated: “I just went to shake his hand and I think he was disappointed with the time-wasting. I said, `You got your 10 minutes (of added time) you were wanting`, so no hard feelings…”
Fans quickly shared their reactions to the incident on social media platforms.
Comments included praise for Henderson, criticism of Guardiola`s behaviour in defeat, observations about the optics for Manchester City, and remarks questioning City`s spending relative to the result.
Marcus Bellamy