Pep Guardiola explained why he handed Claudio Echeverri his Manchester City debut in the Fa Cup final in a quirky response.
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Article continues below
- Echeverri made his City debut in the FA Cup final
- Guardiola explained why he brought in the young Argentine
- Crystal Palace beat Man City 1-0
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WHAT HAPPENED?
City's miseries continued in the 2024-25 campaign as they went down 1-0 against Crystal Palace in their second FA Cup final in a row on Saturday. Eberechi Eze scored the only goal of the match to hand the Eagles their first-ever major trophy.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
In the 76th minute of the match, as the Cityzens were still trailing, Guardiola brought in 19-year-old Argentine sensation Echeverri in place of Omar Marmoush. This was the first time that the teenager appeared for City since formally joining the club in January this year.
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WHAT PEP GUARDIOLA SAID
When asked in the post-match press conference why Guardiola brought in a rookie player in an important final, the City boss said: "My inspiration? I'm a talented manager. I want to be honest, it was not a bad decision."
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WHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER CITY?
The former English champions will now aim to finish among the top five teams in the Premier League and secure a Champions League slot. They will next face Bournemouth on Tuesday before meeting Fulham on the final matchday on May 25.
