His multi-million pound outfit had been humbled by a gritty and determined performance from a Crystal Palace side that had been put together at a fraction of the cost and who undoubtedly deserved to win their first ever major piece of silverware.
City dominated the opening exchanges
Kevin De Bruyne, Erling Haaland and Omar Marmoush all started a match together for City for the very first time, and the way in which they and their teammates began the game suggested that it could be a long afternoon for Oliver Glasner's side. Indeed, by the ninth minute, they'd already completed 60 passes to Palace's six and 15 minutes in, they'd controlled the ball for an incredible 87.7% of the time.
And yet it would be the Eagles who struck with their first attack of note in the 16th minute and their first touch in the City box. The ball was worked briskly out to Daniel Munoz, whose drilled cross evaded everyone except the incoming Eberechi Eze, who fired home.
It was his fourth goal in the 2024/25 FA Cup and meant he'd scored in his last three games in the competition.
Palace had avoided defeat in their last five matches when scoring first in the FA Cup, since a 1-2 loss to Southampton on January 7th, 2023, but with an xG of just 0.74 to City's 2.23, the signs were still ominous for the Eagles.
Henderson's penalty save was pivotal
When Bernardo Silva was fouled in the area by Tyrick Mitchell, the writing appeared to be on the wall. A fourth penalty for City in their FA Cup run - more than any other team - gave them a chance to equalise from the spot. However, Dean Henderson's sprawling dive to his right kept out the penalty from Marmoush.
In so doing, he became the first goalkeeper to save a penalty in an FA Cup final (excl. shootouts) since Petr Cech for Chelsea against Portsmouth in 2010, and it helped Palace become the first South London side to win the cup since Wimbledon in 1988 - when Dave Beasant also saved a penalty against the overwhelming favourites (Liverpool on that occasion).
The team leading at half-time in an FA Cup final had gone on to win seven of the last eight finals (excluding goalless at HT), and City will have felt aggrieved to be behind, particularly when you consider that both Ruben Dias (78) and Josko Gvardiol (59) had completed more passes than the entire Crystal Palace side at that point.
It had evidently been a real backs-against-the-wall performance in the opening 45 from the south Londoners.
Guardiola's side had no answer to Palace's plan
The same theme continued after the break with City dominating possession and having attempted 384 passes in the opposition half compared to Crystal Palace's 62. A tactical foul that earned Nico O'Reilly a yellow card summed up his side's frustration.
Much was expected of a player who has emerged as a real talent for Guardiola, but he didn't really have his best game, if truth be told.
With seven minutes left to play, Claudio Echeverri was sent on for his City debut - becoming the sixth teenager to play an FA Cup final for the club after Sandy Turnbull (1904), Joe Hayes (1955), Tommy Booth (1969), Tommy Caton and Steve MacKenzie (both 1981) - and he could've made an instant impact given that his shot in the 89th minute was the first on target for either team in the second-half.
Ultimately, his and City's efforts were in vain with Palace the first English club to win their first major title since Wigan Athletic in the 2012/13 FA Cup - coincidentally with a 1-0 win over Manchester City.
City's 16th loss of 2024/25 despite 77% possession
City's 16th loss of the campaign in all competitions is their most in a single season since 2008/09 (23), though aside from their profligacy in front of goal, it's difficult to be too harsh on them.
They enjoyed 76.7% possession over the 100 or so minutes, the most on Opta’s records (from 2014) in an FA Cup final. Dias completed more passes himself (129) than Crystal Palace (126), and 23 shots were the most on record (from 2014) by any side that failed to score in an FA Cup final.
Looking more in-depth at some stats from the game, it's quite astonishing that City ended up as the losing side.
679 passes in total with 618 completed gave them an almost perfect pass accuracy of 91% - in a cup final. Palace had just 127 accurate passes from 192 attempted by comparison.
33 crosses (six for Palace) and 60 touches in the Eagles' box should've, at the very least, seen more than six shots on target as a result.
Haaland off the pace after injury comeback
In hindsight, perhaps bringing Erling Haaland back into proceedings after so long out was a mistake. The Norwegian hit-man was well off the pace and his total of 22 touches were the joint worst of City's starting XI, along with Marmoush. A pathetic five completed passes from the centre-forward also told its own story.
Only four Palace players had shots in the game and none of them had more than two, whilst City had eight of their staff take aim; Echeverri somehow getting five shots away in his brief cameo, the joint most with Jeremy Doku.
Glasner's game plan clearly affected his more illustrious opponents, who were outmuscled aerially, winning just 12 of their 28 duels, and just half of their 86 ground duels.
Unusually for a City side in the Guardiola era too, they lost possession on 122 separate occasions, which was even more than their opponents (106).
48 clearances from Palace players during the game, 11 of which were made by Chris Richards, also tells a tale of a side who were right up against it for the most part, but who were prepared to dig in and give absolutely everything to make history.
The magic of the FA Cup, eh?!
