Marc Guehi returns to FA Cup final after Palace Wembley win
marc guehi is back in another FA Cup final, this time with Manchester City against Chelsea, after captaining Crystal Palace to Wembley glory last season. He called his football life “crazy” while preparing for another prestigious final, and the run has carried him from a Palace title to a City chance in just 12 months.
Wembley And Palace
Last season, Guehi led Crystal Palace to their first trophy by beating Manchester City 1-0 in the final, with Eberechi Eze scoring in the 16th minute. That victory is the reference point for this latest final, because it put him at the center of Palace’s biggest day and now sends him back into the same stage with different colors on.
His route to this point has been turbulent. On 10 January, Palace were beaten 2-1 by Macclesfield in the FA Cup third round, and Guehi went to the supporters who had travelled from south London to Cheshire after that defeat. He said then: “I felt like I owed the fans for their voices to be heard because they’re such a big part of football. In that moment, it was low for them, but that’s just another part of life.”
Manchester City And The Move
Nine days after that Macclesfield loss, he moved to Manchester City for £20m. The timing makes this final unusually sharp: the same player who left Palace after a Cup exit is now trying to win the same trophy again with a new club. Guehi said of the turnaround, “I feel like my football life is crazy. There’s no consistency to it. It’s very unpredictable. And it’s fun, interesting. I’m glad to be given the opportunity to play in such a prestigious final again. And for this club, I know how much it means to them to win trophies.”
There is still a complication running through the story. On 4 May, City were leading Everton before a backpass intended for Gianluigi Donnarumma went to Thierno Barry, and the match ended 3-3 after City recovered from a 3-1 deficit. Guehi said of the response inside the squad: “It’s inevitable that someone’s going to make a mistake. So, I think having that togetherness manifesting is really important in any situation – it’s a really good trait of the group. You get to see people’s real characters and relationships when times are most difficult.”
Chelsea And The Cup Return
The final also circles back to Chelsea, the club he joined at a young age before making two League Cup starts in autumn 2019. He later had loan spells at Swansea in January 2020 and for the following season, then joined Crystal Palace in July 2021 for £18m. Guehi was ineligible for City’s 2-0 Carabao Cup final win over Arsenal because he had already played for Palace in that competition, so this weekend gives him a different route to a trophy final with his new side.
Asked whether the match was a chance to prove Chelsea wrong, he shut that down: “That’s not my mentality. I completely understand people that have that thought process but I’ve got nothing but gratitude towards Chelsea. Going there from such a young age, I am super grateful to the coaches, and the players I played with. And, to have been given the opportunity to play for the club, a couple of times.” For City, the immediate task is simple enough: win the final and the mistake at Everton fades into the background, lose and it sits beside Palace’s Wembley day in the same 12-month span.
