Dean Henderson has a 'hand of god' moment.Dean Henderson has a 'hand of god' moment.
Dean Henderson has a 'hand of god' moment. | Getty Images
Dean Henderson was the star of the show as Crystal Palace won the FA Cup.
It was a pitch perfect performance from Oliver Glasner’s men. Keeping their defensive shape with military precision, 90 minutes of dominance from Pep Guardiola’s side amounted to nothing. A first half counter attack from nowhere, finished off by Eberechi Eze, enough to secure an unforgettable 1-0 win for Crystal Palace.
Every Eagles player should hold their heads high for playing a part in the club’s historic day and, no matter what happens against Wolves and Liverpool in the final league games of the campaign, the 2024/25 season will go down as a huge success.
While Crystal Palace fans will be in no mood for VAR chat anytime soon, it’s impossible not to reflect on a deciding moment in that FA Cup final, which came in the 24th minute. Already 1-0 down, Manchester City flocked forward with Erling Haaland racing towards Dean Henderson and the Crystal Palace goal.
FA Cup final hit with VAR controversy
The City talisman still rounded the goalkeeper but was unable to finish in a heart-in-mouth moment for the 30,000 Eagles fans behind the goal. The panic didn’t end there as VAR chimed in to check for a potential red card.
VAR claimed to be looking into whether or not Henderson’s interference had stopped an obvious goalscoring chance. After plenty deliberation, the match played on with a statement reading: "The direction in which Erling Haaland was going made it possible, but not an obvious goal scoring opportunity."
“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? Just get rid of VAR.”
Thomas Tuchel should love Dean Henderson’s Crystal Palace action
Crystal Palace fans won’t care one bit and England manager Thomas Tuchel, who watched on at Wembley Stadium, should be cracking a wry smile at the moment too. Henderson cheated, but he needed to.
The goalkeeper made an error in overcommitting but, should he have backed off, there’s no doubt that Haaland would have finished. The ability to think quick and think dirty, is exactly the bite that Tuchel needs in his Three Lions side.
After all, it’s that ability that famously saw Argentina superstar Diego Maradona help his nation to a win over England in the 1986 World Cup. Henderson has had his own ‘hand of god’ moment, and Tuchel has an England number one conundrum on his hands.
In other news, What does Crystal Palace FA Cup win mean for Chelsea, Brentford and Fulham's European hopes?
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