Pep Guardiola insists it is âalmost impossibleâ for Manchester City to win the quadruple despite keeping that dream alive by beating Brighton to reach the FA Cup final.
City will return to Wembley on May 18 to face Wolves or Watford after Gabriel Jesusâ fourth-minute header sealed a 1-0 victory against Chris Hughtonâs well-organised side.
FA Cup glory is now just a win away for Guardiolaâs men, who have already wrapped up the Carabao Cup and remain in the Premier League driving seat as they boast a game in hand on leaders Liverpool.
Attention now turns to the Champions League and Tuesdayâs quarter-final first-leg clash at Tottenham, but the City boss has tried to downplay growing talk of the quadruple.
âI will announce you something: itâs almost impossible to win the quadruple,â Guardiola said.
âAlmost. So, put it in the headlines, guys: âAlmost impossible to win the quadrupleâ.
âSurviving in that stage with all competitions is already a miracle, so itâs nice to be there.
Kyle Walker didnât see red despite seemingly aiming a headbutt at Alireza Jahanbakhsh.
â(Being in contention still) is why it is incredible what these players have done last season when you achieve 100 points. Not Liverpool, not Manchester City can repeat that.
âThe year after, when you have the tendency to be a little bit more arrogant or a little more presumptuous or think something like that, really you are not.
âAnd still we are there, so thatâs why itâs incredible what these players have done so far.
âEvery game we lose players but that is normal when you play a lot of games. But we are going to try until the end, every game.â
Guardiola is hoping that Sergio Aguero will be fit when City take on Tottenham as the absent striker is âmuch, much betterâ after a muscle issue, but Kyle Walker looks a doubt to face his former club.
The right-back was caught up in controversy during the first half after a coming together with Brightonâs Alireza Jahanbakhsh, but avoided a red card following a Video Assistant Referee review.
Walker was taken off at half-time, but Guardiola insists it was injury-related.
âI didnât see it,â Guardiola said of the incident with Jahanbakhsh. âWhat I saw and the people tell me he didnât touch.
âNo (I didnât bring him off because he was on a yellow card), he had problems in the back, in the hamstring, he could not run.â
Brighton counterpart Hughton has seen the incident back three or four times and was disappointed that Walker was not sent off.
âIn my opinion, it was a red card,â Hughton said. âWe ask the players to be honest.
âAlireza doesnât make a big meal of it. We certainly would have seen in the past players clutching their head, rolling on the floor, so I donât think he makes a big deal of it.
âBut certainly if I look at the action, which I have done, there would have been numerous circumstances where that exact same action would have got somebody a red card.
âI think there was sufficient force in the action to warrant that.â
Asked if the unsuccessful VAR review made it all the more galling, the Albion boss said: âYes, because I think weâre at a stage now where everybody is pushing for it.
âIâm probably one that has been converted a little bit and I am still not sure how far it is going to take us.
âBut, yes, Iâm even more disappointed with the fact this was a VAR (decision).â
But amid the natural disappointment of losing a second ever FA Cup semi-final was pride in Brightonâs display.
âI am incredibly proud,â Hughton said. âAfter conceding after three minutes I donât think there was anyone in the stadium that thought the second wasnât going to come.
âWe hung in and to go through the 90 minutes and, apart from the goal, I struggle to think of a real clear chance.
âThat wouldnât have happened often, if at all, to them this season.â