Pep Guardiola’s reaction to Liverpool title win sums him up after FA Cup triumph

Pep Guardiola guided Manchester City to their third successive FA Cup final with a commanding win over Nottingham Forest, but it was his classy response to Liverpool’s title triumph that stole the headlines.

City booked their place at Wembley for the final on May 17 against Crystal Palace, thanks to goals from young talents Rico Lewis and Josko Gvardiol. Yet Guardiola was quick to set the result aside, using his post-match interview to deliver a heartfelt congratulations to Liverpool and their new manager, Arne Slot.

“Before anything else,” Guardiola began, “on behalf of myself and everyone at Manchester City, I want to congratulate Liverpool for their Premier League victory. It is truly well deserved, and there are no doubts about that.”

The Spaniard was full of admiration for the Reds, who ended City’s four-year stranglehold on the English top-flight title. Under Slot’s guidance, Liverpool showed resilience and quality throughout the campaign, pulling well clear of their competitors.

Guardiola’s comments reflected a man who, despite enduring a rare setback, remained gracious in defeat. “They are a fantastic team,” he said. “This year, they hold the title. But next season, we hope to be better and compete until the very end, which we couldn’t manage this time.”

Despite reaching yet another FA Cup final, Guardiola was blunt when asked if City’s season could still be considered a success. Winning the cup and qualifying for next season’s Champions League, he insisted, would not disguise the shortcomings of their campaign.

“This season has not been good,” Guardiola admitted. “We are a thousand million points behind Liverpool. It’s not good. Look at the Champions League — we won one game? Two games? That’s not the standard for Manchester City.”

City’s Premier League form had been a pale imitation of previous years. With Liverpool crowned champions, Guardiola’s side languished a staggering 21 points adrift, an almost unthinkable margin given their recent dominance.

Their European campaign also ended in disappointment, as City crashed out of the Champions League before the last 16, a result Guardiola described as unacceptable by the club’s lofty standards.

“We were always a machine,” he reflected. “This season, we have not been good. But the damage will be minor. It’s important to recognize the season hasn’t been at the level we expect.”

Guardiola stressed that the club needed to learn from this campaign’s failures and make the right decisions in the summer to rebuild and come back stronger.

While City fans celebrated reaching another final, Nottingham Forest captain Morgan Gibbs-White was left ruing missed chances. The skipper struck the bar and post in the second half and was visibly emotional after the defeat.

“It’s devastating,” Gibbs-White said after the match. “I feel sorry for the fans. I hold my hands up and apologise. I should have scored at least one of them.”

Despite the loss, Gibbs-White praised the Forest supporters for their unwavering loyalty, acknowledging that their backing had been constant throughout the campaign.

“The support never stopped until the very last second,” he added. “We gave it everything. We keep going. We’ve still got the Premier League to focus on.”

For City, the chance to end the season with silverware still remains. Facing Crystal Palace at Wembley will offer Guardiola’s side an opportunity to salvage pride, even if it won’t erase the sense of underachievement from the year as a whole.

Pep’s vow to come back stronger next season already sets the stage for a mouth-watering battle in the 2025-26 campaign. Liverpool, meanwhile, will know that Guardiola’s wounded City are likely to return with a vengeance.

City’s ambition will undoubtedly be fueled by this rare failure, and Guardiola’s post-match comments made it clear that anything less than reclaiming their Premier League crown will not be tolerated.

As Guardiola put it himself, “The club has to make the right decisions so next season we will be better.” For a manager obsessed with constant improvement, failure only sharpens the hunger.

And with that hunger, Manchester City will surely aim to ensure that Liverpool’s reign at the top is a short-lived one.