Wharton battles with Erling Haaland for possession (Image: PA)
Wharton battles with Erling Haaland for possession (Image: PA)
Adam Wharton is an FA Cup winner after helping Crystal Palace stun Manchester City at Wembley.
Wharton played 87 minutes before making way for Will Hughes as the London club made history by winning a first major trophy in their history.
Eberechi Eze got the decisive goal in the 16th minute, steering a cool first-time finish into the corner from Daniel Munoz’s cross.
The first major talking point came when Dean Henderson escaped punishment after handling outside the penalty area with Erling Haaland bearing down on goal.
The goalkeeper went on save Omar Marmoush’s penalty after another controversial decision when Bernardo Silva went down under Tyrick Mitchell’s challenge in the box.
Henderson also made impressive saves from Josko Gvardiol, Jeremy Doku and Claudio Echeverri as Palace dug deep to get over the line.
The only negative was that Wharton didn’t emerge for the post-match celebrations, having potentially picked up a knock.
The midfielder had been a doubt in the build-up to the game with an ankle injury, which he picked up against Nottingham Forest earlier this month, but he produced another impressive display against last season’s Premier League winners.
Wharton has had quite the journey since leaving Ewood Park in January 2024, earning rave reviews in the top flight and making the England squad for the Euros last summer.
The 21-year-old has now made history with Palace and this might just be the start for the Blackburn-born midfielder, who will no doubt have plenty of admirers in the transfer window this summer.