Crystal Palace have won the 2025 FA Cup after overcoming Manchester City 1-0 at Wembley.
The two teams played out two thrilling contests in the Premier League this season, which was followed up with another exciting game in the FA Cup final, which was won courtesy of an Eberechi Eze goal.
Jamie Carragher predicted Crystal Palace to lift the FA Cup, and the Sky Sports pundit would not have been the only one given the form Oliver Glasner’s team were showing in the build-up to the final.
Pep Guardiola’s men were not at their best once again on the day, and even though Man City fans won’t believe they deserved to win at Wembley, they may feel harshly done by after Dean Henderson could have seen a red card in the first half.
Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
Mark Clattenburg believes Dean Henderson should have been sent off in the FA Cup final
With Man City looking for an equaliser in the first half, Henderson would handle the ball outside of the box as Erling Haaland ran through on goal, only for the VAR team to deem the action as not a sending-off offence as the Norwegian was running away from the goal.
Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg disagrees with this outcome, with the Englishman exclusively telling Manchester City News that he believes a “mistake” was made in the FA Cup final.
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“The first major decision for the match officials to deal with in the FA Cup final was to decide if, firstly, Dean Henderson, the Crystal Palace goalkeeper, had handled outside the penalty area, and if he had handled outside, then would it be deemed a denial of a goal-scoring opportunity,” Clattenburg said.
“From the replays, it’s clear to see that Henderson handles the ball outside the penalty area before Haaland can get a touch on the ball.
“The VAR reviews the incident and decides that the play was going away from the goal and therefore not a goal-scoring opportunity. I disagree with this, as if Henderson does not touch the ball with his hand, then Haaland will have an open goal to score.
“There could be an argument that there was a covering defender, but the defender would not stop Haaland getting to the ball. This is a clear case of denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity and a mistake by the VAR.”
Photo by Visual China Group via Getty Images/Visual China Group via Getty Images
Photo by Visual China Group via Getty Images/Visual China Group via Getty Images
Wayne Rooney wants VAR gone after Dean Henderson decision in the FA Cup final
Having witnessed Henderson avoid the red card and then save a penalty from Omar Marmoush later in the contest, Wayne Rooney was furious with VAR after what he witnessed in the first half at Wembley.
“It is a red card, 100% a red card. Erling Haaland is about to knock it around him, and Dean Henderson sweeps the ball away. It is a red card. How can they get this wrong?” Rooney said at halftime on BBC One.
Rooney would continue talking about VAR, stating: “Just get rid of VAR. They have made a mistake, and now they are trying to cover up. It is a red card, and everyone can see it’s a red card. To come out with all this rubbish.”
This moment in the FA Cup final will be debated extensively over the coming days, even though Man City were not good enough on the day, decisions such as this change the outcome of games.