Dean Henderson’s cheeky added-time remark to Pep Guardiola sparked a heated exchange after the FA Cup final.
The Crystal Palace shot-stopper was central to a contentious moment in the match after handling the ball outside the box, but neither the referee nor VAR deemed it a sending-off offense. Henderson’s importance was underscored as he denied Omar Marmoush from the spot and made several key saves, helping Palace clinch its first-ever FA Cup.
The tension escalated post-match when Henderson and Guardiola were seen in a fiery confrontation. Amidst the euphoria of victory, Henderson disclosed the content of their conversation to ITV Sport.
“I just went to shake his hand but obviously I think he was disappointed with the time wasting,” Henderson said. “I said ‘you got the 10 minutes that you wanted’. No hard feelings.”
Regarding the decision not to send him off, Henderson admitted to being somewhat in the dark during the VAR check.
He elaborated: “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 down the side who they were doing it for and he said yeah but who cares? It doesn’t matter. I’m not bothered.”
Meanwhile, one of Henderson’s pivotal moments was to divert Marmoush’s penalty. Intriguingly, he confessed that he anticipated the direction of the Egyptian’s shot, though unsure what he’d face with Haaland at the spot.
“To be fair, Haaland might have stepped up,” Henderson said. “He gave it to Marmoush and I knew which way he was going. I knew I would save it.”
In addition to his on-field heroics, Henderson paid tribute to his late father after the match. In additional remarks to BBC Sport, he mentioned: “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.”
