Crystal Palace secured their first major trophy in club history by defeating Manchester City 1-0 in a dramatic FA Cup final at Wembley on Saturday.
Eberechi Eze’s 16th-minute strike, following Palace’s first meaningful attack of the game, proved decisive. The goal came after Jean-Philippe Mateta’s clever hold-up play released Daniel Muñoz, whose precision pass found Eze, who calmly slotted past Stefan Ortega.
Manchester City had dominated possession early, pressing Palace deep into their half. Erling Haaland tested Dean Henderson within the opening minutes, followed by attempts from Josko Gvardiol and Manuel Akanji. But the Palace goalkeeper stood strong, making key saves to keep City at bay.
The match took a controversial turn when Henderson appeared to handle the ball outside his area to deny Haaland a clear scoring chance. Initially shown a red card, the goalkeeper was saved by VAR, which ruled the ball was heading away from goal, downgrading the offense.
City’s frustrations continued, with Haaland unable to break his scoring drought at Wembley, now stretching to six appearances and eight final matches without a goal.
As halftime approached, Henderson was once again called upon, this time diving to deny Jeremy Doku’s curling shot from the edge of the box.
In the second half, City resumed their pressure, but Palace nearly extended their lead in their first forward move. Muñoz’s deflected shot forced Ortega into a difficult save, and the rebound almost fell kindly before being cleared.
Despite relentless pressure from Guardiola’s side, Palace remained disciplined and resilient. Henderson’s heroics, including a crucial penalty save from Omar Marmoush, ensured their slim lead held until the final whistle.
The victory denied Pep Guardiola a chance to match Sir Alex Ferguson’s record of three FA Cup wins and marked a momentous day for Palace, who lifted the prestigious trophy for the first time in their history.
