Crystal Palace made history on Saturday, winning their first-ever major trophy by defeating Pep Guardiola`s Manchester City 1-0 in the FA Cup final. This was Palace`s third appearance in the final of the prestigious competition, and it proved to be the occasion they finally lifted the trophy. Eberechi Eze scored the decisive goal in the first half, a moment that also coincided with what is set to be the final match for Manchester City legend Kevin De Bruyne, who is expected to depart this summer. The defeat means City concludes the season without silverware for the first time since the 2016-17 campaign.
The victory also sees two United States men`s national team players add a major trophy to their resumes: defender Chris Richards and goalkeeper Matt Turner. Richards played the entire 90 minutes, contributing significantly to the clean sheet, while Turner served as the backup goalkeeper.
Palace got off to a strong start and took the lead just 16 minutes into the match. The move began with Jean-Philippe Mateta, who controlled the ball in midfield before executing a quick one-two. He then released right-back Daniel Munoz down the flank. The Colombian international took one touch before delivering a powerful, low cross into the box, which Eberechi Eze met to guide the ball into the far corner for the opener.
Minutes after taking the lead, Palace were arguably fortunate to remain with 11 players. Goalkeeper Dean Henderson handled the ball clearly outside of his penalty area. CBS Sports rules analyst Christina Unkel commented on the incident on X (formerly Twitter), stating that a red card “should have been given on the field,” noting the assistant referee was not ideally positioned and suggesting VAR should have recommended a review for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity.
Before halftime, Manchester City had a golden chance to equalize when a penalty was awarded following a foul on Bernardo Silva inside the box. Omar Marmoush stepped up to take the spot-kick, hitting a firm shot towards the bottom left corner. However, Dean Henderson produced a brilliant save, diving low to his left to push the ball away. The rebound fell towards City striker Erling Haaland, but Henderson was alert and quickly pounced on the loose ball before Haaland could capitalize, preserving Palace`s lead.
Henderson, formerly of Manchester United, delivered a performance to remember against his old rivals, arguably one of the best of his career. He faced a barrage of 23 shots from City, making six crucial saves throughout the match. Despite City`s dominance in possession, holding 79% of the ball and completing nearly 500 more passes than Palace, they could not find a way past the inspired goalkeeper and resolute defense.
Early in the second half, Daniel Munoz thought he had doubled Palace`s lead when he scored from his own rebound. However, the goal was correctly disallowed after a VAR review confirmed that Ismaila Sarr was in an offside position in the build-up.
City continued to bombard the Palace goal throughout the second period, finishing the game with a total of 23 shots and an Expected Goals (xG) value of 2.30. Yet, none managed to beat Dean Henderson or break through the determined Palace backline. The final whistle blew with the score still 1-0, allowing the underdogs to lift the coveted FA Cup trophy at Wembley Stadium, celebrating a historic triumph in front of their passionate and long-suffering supporters.
