FA Cup Glory Won't Salvage Manchester City's Troubled Season: Pep Guardiola

Pep Guardiola said winning the FA Cup will not be enough to salvage Manchester City's troubled season after they reached the final on the day Liverpool ended their reign as Premier League champions. Guardiola's side had been crowned English champions for the last four seasons, but their dismal form for much of this term handed Liverpool the chance to seal a record-equalling 20th top-flight title. Liverpool's coronation was sealed with a 5-1 rout of Tottenham that finished at almost the exact moment the full-time whistle blew at Wembley to signal City's 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup semi-finals.

Rico Lewis scored after just 109 seconds before Josko Gvardiol extended City's advantage in the second half.

City will face Crystal Palace in their third successive FA Cup final on May 17.

Guardiola's fourth-placed team are also on course to qualify for the Champions League via a top five finish in the Premier League.

But when it was put to the Spaniard that FA Cup glory and Champions League qualification would mark a "successful" campaign, he replied: "No, and I have said that many times.

"This season has not been good. We are a thousand million points behind Liverpool, so come on, this season has not been good.

"Look at the Champions League. How many games did we win? One or two? And we have always been a machine in that.

"We cannot confuse that the season has been good if we finish in the top five and qualify for the Champions League. 

"The club has to take the decisions, the right ones, for next season to be better."

City are 21 points behind Liverpool in the league and one point clear of Chelsea and Forest, who also have a game in hand, in the race for the top five places.

"Being in another final speaks so