Why Man City won’t celebrate FA Cup win —Guardiola

Pep Guardiola has revealed that Man City players are not allowed to celebrate their FA Cup final victory over Chelsea on Saturday as they switch focus to the Premier League clash against Bournemouth.

Antoine Semenyo scored the only goal to lead Man City to a 1-0 win over Chelsea at Wembley to win the competition for the third time under Pep Guardiola.

They will be back in action against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Tuesday as they aim to overtake Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table with two games to go.

The Gunners are currently leading Guardiola’s men by two points as they take on Burnley on Monday, a win for Arsenal will move them closer to the title.

Arteta’s team will need to win their last game of the season against Crystal Palace to emerge champions for the first time since 2004.

However, Guardiola has revealed that his players are not allowed to celebrate the FA Cup title, urging them to switch their attention to the Bournemouth game.

He said: Asked whether there would be a party in London on Saturday night, Guardiola said: “Home. Not even one beer.

“No, no, no — not have time [to celebrate]. Chelsea had seven days to prepare for the final, we had three days and yesterday was a nightmare.

“We spent literally six hours from City to here. The trains are a little bit of a problem in this country. Six hours!”

“Next Monday after Aston Villa, we’re going to celebrate it with the women’s team, the club said that to me [with] some parade in Manchester because we must celebrate with both teams,”

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Guardiola was full of praises for John Stones and Bernardo Silva, who are expected to leave the club at the end of the season.

He concluded: “Absolutely [it’s nice for Bernardo and John] but if you have to judge their service here today on whether they win the trophy, it’s not about that.

“They have been incredible and I have so much gratitude for how they represent this club in the best way possible.

“Bernardo is a machine and today he showed it again. Always I had that feeling but still right now I cannot overcome the feeling that many incredible players could not play.

“Six didn’t travel and Phil [Foden] played incredible on Wednesday night but did not play. It’s tough but it is what it is.

“John and Bernardo are leaving but we have two games and hopefully we can fight for the Premier League.”

Meanwhile, Chelsea interim head coach Calum McFarlane was disappointed with the Semenyo goal but praised the players for their efforts.

He said: “It’s a one-in-a-hundred goal, a real xG goal. There was nothing you could do to stop it.

“We went toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in the world, there was very little between the two sides. When we had momentum and needed a moment of quality to get in front, we didn’t do that.

“We know what this team is capable of. It’s a really talented group with lots of quality.

“In recent weeks, their fight and heart have been questioned, but the last two performances can’t be questioned. They’ve given everything for the club.”

Manchester City have now won the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup this season.

Guardiola has now led the club to 20 trophies since joining in 2016.