Crystal Palace have won their first-ever major trophy by beating Manchester City 1-0 in the FA Cup final.
A well-taken goal by Eberechi Eze and a goalkeeping masterclass from Dean Henderson frustrated Man City and sealed the greatest day in the club's 119-year history.
Henderson denied Omar Marmoush from the spot and produced five memorable saves under the Wembley sun to walk away as the main hero.
FA Cup final day will always remain the UK's finest sporting event of the year. The country watches on as two sides look to claim the world's oldest competition, and Crystal Palace – a side who had previously lost the two finals they had been in – brought a new wave of beautiful chaos in the stands.
When Eze gave them the lead 16 minutes in, that was on show. Bedlam in the stands as their star man coolly slotted a first-time effort past Stefan Ortega.
For all of football's tedious and robotic modern-day components, this FA Cup final went out of the script. Henderson was perhaps lucky not to be sent off 10 minutes after his side took the lead, and then he became Man City's number one nemesis, denying Marmoush from the spot with a world-class save to his right.
Palace were denied a second in the 60th minute when VAR disallowed Daniel Munoz's strike from a tight angle, whilst Man City's endless assault on the Eagles' backline never materialised into an equaliser.
This season has provided a break from the boredom and repetitiveness that football usually offers in major finals. Newcastle United ended their trophy drought, Bologna did in Italy, and now Crystal Palace have sealed their first. It's proof that there still are romantic stories in the 'beautiful game'.
Story of the Match
With a sea of red and blue descending on Wembley Way, chants of "Eagles" made it clear that the south London club had the numerical fan advantage in noise.
This was their first FA Cup final since 2016, when they lost 2-1 to ten-man Manchester United despite going 1-0 up through Jason Puncheon, but with Oliver Glasner in charge, a Europa League winner in 2022, today felt different. They named their semi-final lineup, which included Adam Wharton, after recovering from a recent ankle injury.
But Man City, perennial winners, still came into the day as firm favourites, looking to salvage something from a season that hasn't hit their expected heights. Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne, making his last FA Cup appearance for the club, started.
And it was that world-class duo that nearly gave Pep Guardiola's side the lead just six minutes in. The Belgian produced a classic 'De Bruyne cross' to the back post, with Haaland's outstretched volley superbly clawed away by Henderson. Gvardiol was also denied by the goalkeeper five minutes later.
But football can change in an instant, with Palace producing a moment of organised genius to take the lead 16 minutes in. Jean-Philippe Mateta controlled the long ball forward superbly, set up Munoz for a driving run down the flank, and his low ball into the box was met by the onrushing Eze, placing his effort into the bottom, left corner.
Delirium in the stands, yet Eze remained as composed as ever. The 26-year-old has been the form player in the FA Cup this season, with his latest goal symbolising the effectiveness of Glasner's tactics when clicking.
Crystal Palace were never going to walk into the sunset with a comfortable victory, though. Just 10 minutes after taking the lead, Henderson was lucky to stay on the pitch. He handled the ball outside of the box, but VAR chose not to send him off as the ball and Haaland were already going away from the goal.
And then just minutes later, Henderson turned into a hero. Man City were awarded a penalty when Tyrick Mitchell brought down Bernardo Silva in the box, but Henderson denied Marmoush with a world-class save to his right.
SAVED BY HENDERSON 🚫
Omar Marmoush misses from the spot ❌#FACup pic.twitter.com/PfvBowkW6V
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) May 17, 2025
Henderson, a former Manchester United player, has had a rocky and unique career, yet under the Wembley spotlight, he was turning into a Palace legend. At the end of the first half, he denied Jeremy Doku with another world-class save, with the 28-year-old seemingly getting bigger with every moment of magic.
The start of the second half continued the theme of the first. Wave after wave of attacks from Man City, but they lacked the clinical touch and Palace continued to defend like their lives depended on it. Palace did always provide a threat when they infrequently drove forward, and they thought they took another step to victory on the hour mark.
Munoz fired home from a tight angle after Chris Richards' long throw caused chaos in the box, but following a lengthy VAR check, Ismaila Sarr was adjudged to be narrowly offside in the build-up.
Man City were not as controlled as they were in the first half, but they still had moments to equalise. Nico O'Reilly had a golden chance to level with 15 minutes to go, after a superb through-ball from De Bruyne, but he got his feet tangled as he attempted to shoot.
19-year-old Claudio Echeverri also came close after another stunning through-ball from De Bruyne, but as was the case all afternoon, Henderson denied him with a firm stop.
After 10 long minutes of stoppage-time, one half of Wembley erupted — tears flowing throughout. Crystal Palace, a side that never used to be Premier League regulars, have won one of football's greatest prizes. And it was thoroughly deserved.
In cup finals — and especially at Wembley — players can walk in as exactly that, players, but leave as legends. Dean Henderson, already held in high regard in south London, has now done that, immortalising himself in Palace history.
He produced world-class save after world-class save in the first half — including a miraculous penalty stop — to keep the Eagles ahead. Maybe he was slightly fortunate not to be sent off for handling the ball outside the box in the first half, but that was his only notable flaw. The former Man Utd player single-handedly kept Palace in front.