The last time Pep Guardiola ended the season without a trophy

Manchester City were left to rue missed chances as they suffered a shock loss to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final on Saturday.

Pep Guardiola’s side dominated the early stages of the game but went behind due to a a nicely-taken goal from Ebereche Eze. Soon after City were given a lifeline when they were awarded a penalty but Dean Henderson made a brilliant diving save from Omar Marmoush.

City pushed as the game went on but Palace stood tall to clinch the trophy, the first major cup win of their 119-year history. Goalscorer Eze was visibly emotional at the full-time whistle, while Henderson dedicated the victory to his late father during the postgame interview.

On the other side of the field, Pep Guardiola is now facing a rare trophy-less season in his stellar coaching career.

The last time that Guardiola ended a season without a major competition win was in 2016/17, his first season with Manchester City. Incredibly, that was the only previous time that he has ever gone trophy-less in a season as a head coach. The only hope remaining for his team this season is the new-look FIFA Club World Cup next month. If City fail to win that tournament the season will end without a big win.

In fairness, Manchester City did win the 2024 Community Shield at the start of the current season. However that ‘competition’ is a one-off fixture between the winners of the Premier League and the FA Cup and is not typically considered a major honor.

“We didn’t score. So congratulations to Crystal Palace, for the victory. And we did everything, nothing to regret for the team,” Guardiola told the BBC after the game.

“Today we were much more aggressive, missed a penalty, created a lot. But if you don’t score goals you don’t win.”

City return to Premier League action on Tuesday to take on Bournemouth at Etihad Stadium. They have slipped out of the Champions League places due to wins for Chelsea and Aston Villa on Friday, piling on the pressure for the final game of the domestic season.

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