Dean Henderson shares what he told Pep Guardiola to spark angry FA Cup final row

Dean Henderson shares what he told Pep Guardiola to spark angry FA Cup final row Newspoint | 18/05/2025 06:39:14

Dean Henderson has revealed the cheeky comment he made in added time towards Pep Guardiola which sparked a heated argument at the end of the FA Cup final. The goalkeeper found himself involved in a brief altercation with Guardiola on the pitch after the full-time whistle. The manager could be seen gesturing angrily towards the shot-stopper.

The incident came after Henderson played a key role in Palace's FA Cup final triumph. But he handled the ball outside of the penalty area in the first half and was lucky not to be sent off. Neither the referee or VAR deemed it worthy of a red card. Henderson then saved Omar Marmoush's penalty and made several other key saves as the Eagles clinched their first ever major trophy.

Discussing the incident with Guardiola amid the ecstatic Palace celebrations, Henderson revealed to ITV Sport: "I just went to shake his hand but obviously I think he was disappointed with the time wasting. I said 'you got the 10 minutes (of added time) that you wanted.' No hard feelings."

When questioned about the controversial decision to keep him on the pitch, he admitted he was somewhat oblivious to what was happening during the VAR review.

Henderson further explained: "I didn't know it was for me in all honesty. I knew it came into the box. I wasn't sure what they were doing it for. I asked Chilly (Ben Chilwell) down the side who they were doing it for and he said yeah but who cares? It doesn't matter. I'm not bothered."

Henderson said that he had anticipated the direction of Marmoush's penalty, although he was less certain about what would have happened if Erling Haaland had taken the penalty instead.

The English shot-stopper added: "To be fair, Haaland might have stepped up. He gave it to Marmoush and I knew which way he was going. I knew I would save it."

In a heartfelt moment away from the pitch drama, Henderson dedicated the triumph to his late father. In an emotional statement to BBC Sport, he expressed: "I lost my dad at the start of the season, but he was with me today. He was with me every kick of the game. I dedicate that win to him."