- Manchester City seemed to lose their rhythm in a well-below-par FA Cup final
- Man United take a 2-0 lead and City’s recent drunken party was mentioned
Manchester City’s players have been accused of being out of rhythm after last week’s partying as they produced a strangely lethargic FA Cup final display.
Manchester United arrived at Wembley as heavy underdogs but City’s stars seemed far removed, leading some fans to speculate that they are still feeling the effects of their league title after-party.
The ill-tempered display led some fans to make wild accusations on social media that the Premier League champions’ performance had been affected by their celebrations last week.
“City are playing like a team that has been angry all week,” read a post on X.
“It seems the City players don’t know how to run at all,” wrote another. “Too much alcohol”.
Manchester City were left reeling after a disastrous first half at Wembley in the FA Cup final.
The final came days after players like Kevin De Bruyne (left) partied until 5am
Phil Foden (left) and Jack Grealish (right) celebrate winning their fourth consecutive league title.
Many FA Cup Final viewers felt City players looked hungover
Pep Guardiola’s side sealed their fourth consecutive Premier League title last weekend with a victory over West Ham, while the players had a wild party to commemorate their latest title.
Jack Grealish, who started on the bench at Wembley, and Erling Haaland led the revelry as City stars celebrated to 5 a.m. at the Fenix Greek restaurant, as players brought their wives and girlfriends for a drunken night out.
Grealish and Haaland posed earlier in the evening as they showed off their watches, with a Premier League medal dripping from the striker’s neck.
The party began in the dressing room, where the players danced and sang: ‘Champions, champions, ole, ole, ole!’
Manchester City players, including Erling Haaland, celebrated until 5am after winning the league title.
Erling Haaland’s girlfriend, Isabel Haugsend, danced on the night of the party
Later, Phil Foden’s girlfriend Rebecca Cooke attended the festivities, as did his mother Claire Rowlands, while Rico Lewis was also seen holding hands with his partner, and Guardiola’s wife Cristina was pictured.
Grealish spared no expense when it came to style, sporting a £2,000 Gucci ensemble and then posting a video of him singing Natasha Bedingfield’s ‘Unwriting’ with friends.
“A couple of days just sets you back a little bit,” Gary Neville said earlier in the week, suggesting he opened a door for Man United to exploit.
They took advantage and United took a 2-0 lead with goals from teenagers Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo.
The first goal came from a mix-up between Josko Gvardiol and goalkeeper Stefan Ortega, while the second saw United put City through before Mainoo scored.
Things did not improve for City in the second half, apart from Haaland hitting the crossbar, as United continued to dictate the pace of the match.
Jeremy Doku scored a goal for Manchester City late on, but Guardiola’s men could not find an equalizer to force the match into extra time.
Questions will now be raised over the decision to throw such a big party ahead of the FA Cup final, as their trophy parade through Manchester on Sunday adds to such a disappointing display at Wembley.
