Manchester City suffered heartbreak in the FA Cup final, outfought and beaten by Crystal Palace at Wembley.
Pep Guardiola`s team concluded the season without securing a trophy after a 1-0 defeat in North London.
Guardiola surprised many with an attacking starting lineup, featuring Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne in the midfield.
However, it proved to be a frustrating afternoon for the reigning Premier League champions, who were thwarted by an exceptional performance from Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson.
Eberechi Eze opened the scoring for Palace against the run of play in the first half.
Despite dominating possession for long periods of the match, City could not find an equalizer after the break.
Here are the player ratings for Guardiola`s side at Wembley:
Stefan Ortega – 6
The German goalkeeper was given the start ahead of Ederson, as is customary in domestic cup competitions. He had barely touched the ball before having to pick it out of his net following Palace`s opening goal. He was fortunate when a potential second Palace goal was ruled out for offside by VAR. Overall, a quiet game for him, despite ending on the losing side.
Manuel Akanji – 6
Was deployed at right-back, chosen ahead of Nunes and Rico Lewis, a decision that likely disappointed both players. He flicked a header onto the top of the net early on and handled the threats down his flank effectively. Guardiola will be pleased to have him back for the crucial week ahead for his team.
Ruben Dias – 6
Completed more passes than the entire Palace team in the first half as City dominated possession, but still ended up trailing. He was slow to react when Daniel Munoz seemingly scored Palace’s second, but was saved by the VAR review which correctly ruled it offside.
Josko Gvardiol – 7
Nearly repeated his goal from the semi-final with an early header, but it was saved by Henderson. He had a challenging time dealing with Palace attackers like Jean-Phillippe Mateta and Eze but successfully kept the lively forwards in check. Looked more comfortable in a central defensive role.
Nico O`Reilly – 6
Rewarded for his significant contribution to City’s cup run with a starting place in the final. However, the young player is not naturally a left-back and was caught out for the Palace opening goal, giving Munoz too much space. He was denied a potential equalizer towards the end when his shot was blocked.
Bernardo Silva – 7
Chosen for a deeper role in Pep’s updated system and, as he consistently does, performed his task effectively for his manager. He pushed forward to contribute to a key moment for his team and had a late effort blocked by Kamada. He had put in a solid performance before being substituted late in the game.
Kevin De Bruyne – 6
The Belgian maestro started and captained the side, potentially in his final appearance before a possible departure this summer. His early cross nearly led to the opening goal for Haaland, and a late snapshot went just wide. Sadly, there was no fairy tale ending to his remarkable City career.
Jeremy Doku – 6
Another player who saw a lot of the ball but struggled to make a decisive impact. His curling shot was saved superbly by Henderson, and he sent another effort over the bar after the break. Despite his excellent dribbling skills, he needs to create more for his teammates. He might be more impactful coming on as a substitute.
Savinho – 5
Had frequent possession in the first half and caused some problems for his opposing full-back, but the lack of an end product was disappointing. He was slightly more effective after halftime, but was eventually replaced by Phil Foden as City looked for new attacking ideas. He could not reasonably object to being taken off.
