Palace win the first major trophy in their history and qualify for next season's Europa League after a shock victory at Wembley
Crystal Palace 1-0 Man City (Eze 16’)
WEMBLEY – It had to be now. In 119 years, Crystal Palace have never known what it feels like for the stars to align to etch their name onto a trophy. It goes a little something like this – a magical, unthinkable miracle against a super-club, assisted by a Hand of God.
Dean Henderson, eagle-like, soars into life to save Omar Marmoush’s penalty. It is inexplicable that he is still on the pitch, surviving a VAR review for handling well outside his area to stop an onrushing Erling Haaland.
But so little of Palace’s greatest day made any sense. The pre-match tifo predicted: Wembley will shake and it will be beautiful. As they danced misty-eyed in the red and blue haze, it was not just beautiful but almost ethereal.
They were still drinking in the bitter aftertaste of the pyros from Eberchi Eze’s opener after 16 minutes of torrid endurance. At the time of the goal, Manchester City had boasted 88 per cent of the ball. Jean-Philippe Mateta did something with it, holding it up before sending Daniel Munoz away to lay it on for Eze’s first-time strike.
Should this have been a red card for Dean Henderson? :thinking_face:#FACup pic.twitter.com/GEexLOrUPJ
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) May 17, 2025
It is hard to think of an FA Cup final goal more against the run of play, set against a louder eruption from one end of Wembley. For City, that will only add to the sense of bruising injustice though they will be hard-pushed to elicit much sympathy from the neutrals.
There was no Oliver Glasner groove to match the Pardew party move, just both wrists circling frantically in the blue sky. From those highs, the penalty could have been crushing. Bernardo Silva should never have been allowed to run at Tyrick Mitchell. In fact the script should not have allowed for Palace to invite City on so incessantly full – and to still defy all expectations of how it would end.
In another universe, it is obviously Haaland, not Marmoush, who takes the spot-kick. And in that world, the more conventional tale is a spectacular farewell for Kevin De Bruyne, serenaded by the City fans but unable to sculpt one more masterpiece.
A more functional Palace carved out history blow by blow. Flashy Jeremy Doku footwork was stood up by Munoz. Marc Guehi took a shot to the face from Adam Wharton. Glasner was unrelenting in his determination to sit tight and let a first major trophy come to them.
Munoz almost had his moment, tearing into the stands after a goal eventually disallowed for hitting an offside Ismaila Sarr in the build-up. Either way these history-makers will go down in south London folklore.
At full time, Eze slunk to the floor. No one bellowed Glad All Over louder than Chris Richards. Scarfs swirled and limbs were disembodied in some of the greatest scenes Wembley has ever seen.
None of this was inevitable or even remotely foreseeable. In November, Palace perched in the relegation zone, with Glasner on the brink.
The Premier League’s perennial mid-tablers have often been criticised for a lack of ambition but it was the passion and perseverance of Steve Parish that ensured Glasner stayed to do what no Crystal Palace manager has ever done. In Croydon, he will go down as the greatest of all time.
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They could have settled for Steve Cooper, Graham Potter, Julen Lopetegui. Parish dared to dream bigger, luring his European champion from Frankfurt and never looking back.
Nobody deserves it more. Glasner is an immensely hard-working, intelligent, and imaginative coach whose own playing career was ended by a brain haemorrhage. Unsurprisingly, he is a great believer in luck – as Palace clung on by the tips of their fingers, the black Hugo Boss jumper which has become his good luck charm was thrown on too.
No wonder Palace fans can’t help falling in love with his team, a unit which on Saturday afternoon looked unbreakable but in truth will face a battering ram of interest this summer. Having weathered the departure of Michael Olise, now commences the battle to keep hold of Eze, Marc Guehi, Mateta, Adam Wharton, and even Glasner, who is wanted by RB Leipzig.
It just had to be now. Perhaps it will be a generation before Palace are back here. No matter. Glasner’s men are immortal, every one of them cemented as legends.