By Willow Austin
Published on 2024-05-26 12:52:44
Manchester City were unable to increase their title on Saturday as they failed to beat their bitter rivals, Manchester United, that won the FA Cup after defeating City 2-1.
The Red Devils were ahead of their local rivals by two goals in the first-half and managed to secure the victory despite that Manchester City scored through Jeremy Doku’s attempt.
The Cityzens’ performance, especially in the first was criticised and many believe that their poor display was due to their celebration after winning the English Premier League last weekend.
Pep Guardiola’s side last weekend defeated West Ham United 3-1 to secure their fourth consecutive league title. They won the league with 91 points, two points above Arsenal that occupied the second position.
The City players celebrated their achievement by partying from the moments they were declared the league champions until the following day and this has been described as the reason for their poor performance against Manchester United.
However, while speaking after the defeat at Wembley, Kyle Walker insisted that their title celebration had nothing to do with their display against the Red Devils. He claimed that six days were enough for them to recover and prepare for the FA Cup final.
He said (via The Independent): “We celebrated on Sunday, this was Saturday. It’s six days. If us athletes can’t recover in six days there’s no chance for anyone.
“We had to take that moment on Sunday because if we’re celebrating now, on a downer, it won’t feel right.
“The moment was right. The club, the players and staff made that decision. Let’s not blame that.
Despite the FA Cup setback, Manchester City will parade their Premier League title, the UEFA Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup on Sunday. Man City added three trophies to their title collection, despite their success in the previous season.
