Crystal Palace finally lifted their first major trophy on 17 May 2025, beating Manchester City 1-0 at Wembley to win the FA Cup and complete one of the most significant days in the club’s history.
From Nearly Men to Cup Winners
Before 2025, Palace had twice reached the FA Cup final and lost to Manchester United – first in a dramatic 3-3 draw and 1-0 replay defeat in 1990, then 2-1 after extra time in 2016. Those near misses, plus decades spent fighting relegation or pushing for promotion, meant the club had never claimed a major honour despite its rich history.
The arrival of Oliver Glasner and a core of talents like Eberechi Eze, Marc Guéhi and Dean Henderson changed that trajectory, with Palace combining a compact defensive structure and ruthless counter-attacking throughout their 2024–25 FA Cup run. Along the way they knocked out Premier League opposition with 3-0 wins in both the quarter-finals and semi-finals despite having far less possession, signalling a side built perfectly for knockout football.
The 2025 FA Cup Final vs Manchester City
In the final at Wembley, Palace faced favourites Manchester City, who were appearing in a third straight FA Cup showpiece and dominating the ball from kick-off. City had 88% possession in the opening phase and completed around ten times as many passes as Palace in the first ten minutes, forcing Henderson into early action from corners and half-chances.
But with their first meaningful attack, Palace struck. From a goal kick, Jean‑Philippe Mateta held up the ball and released Daniel Muñoz on the right; Muñoz drove forward and whipped in a low cross that Eberechi Eze volleyed first time into the far corner on 16 minutes. That flowing nine‑touch, 13‑second move encapsulated Glasner’s plan: soak up pressure, then cut through City’s structure the moment space appeared.
City were handed a golden chance to level when referee Stuart Attwell awarded a penalty after Bernardo Silva went down under Tyrick Mitchell’s challenge, a decision VAR upheld. Omar Marmoush stepped up, but Henderson guessed correctly, pushed the spot-kick wide while keeping his trailing foot on the line, then recovered to block Erling Haaland’s follow-up – a sequence pundits described as the turning point of the match.
Henderson’s Heroics and Palace’s Resistance
After the break, Palace dropped even deeper, defending in a 5-4-1 and relying on Henderson and their back three to repel waves of attacks. The goalkeeper produced crucial saves from Jérémy Doku and teenage substitute Claudio Echeverri, while late City chances from Doku and Nico O’Reilly in stoppage time flashed wide or were smothered.
Palace still threatened sporadically on the break – one Muñoz goal was ruled out by VAR for an offside in the build-up – but the final ten minutes plus eleven minutes of added time were largely about concentration and resilience. When the whistle finally went at 90+11, the scoreboard still read Crystal Palace 1–0 Manchester City, confirming the Eagles as FA Cup winners for the first time ever.
What the Win Means for Crystal Palace
The FA described it as “the greatest day in their history”, emphasising that Eze’s goal and a stubborn defensive display had delivered Palace’s first Emirates FA Cup triumph. For the club, the victory secured not just a trophy but also qualification for European competition, initially earning a Europa League place before UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules diverted them into the Europa Conference League.
Supporters and commentators alike framed the win as the moment Crystal Palace finally shed their nearly-men tag: 35 years after the heartbreak of 1990 and nine years after extra-time defeat in 2016, the Eagles had returned to Wembley and, this time, walked back down Wembley Way as FA Cup holders. With captain Marc Guéhi lifting the cup, Henderson the penalty hero and Eze the match-winner, the 2025 final is now etched as the definitive milestone in Crystal Palace’s modern history.
Post Comment