The Eagles have landed at Wembley – how did Crystal Palace reach FA Cup final? | OneFootball

Crystal Palace play Manchester City for the FA Cup on Saturday.

Here, the PA news agency looks at the Eagles’ road to Wembley – the third FA Cup final in their history and another chance for them to win major silverware for the first time.

Third round: Crystal Palace 1-0 Stockport (January 12)

Eberechi Eze’s fourth-minute strike at Selhurst Park proved to be enough to secure the win in what was the also Hatters’ first competitive assignment against Premier League hosts in 18 years.

Fourth round: Doncaster 0-2 Crystal Palace (February 10)

Palace soared through to the fifth round after Daniel Munoz broke the deadlock in the 31st minute at the Eco-Power Stadium, where Northern Ireland international Justin Devenny also scored in the second half to wrap up the comfortable victory over this season’s Sky Bet League Two champions.

Fifth-round: Crystal Palace 3-1 Millwall (March 1)

Out of the hat emerged a tantalising south London derby, one that got off to an unsettling start when Liam Roberts was sent off with a straight red card in the eighth minute.

The Millwall goalkeeper was dismissed for a high boot challege that resulted in Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta being rushed to hospital, where he required 25 stitches to repair a lacerated left ear.

Japhet Tanganga’s own goal handed the Eagles a 33rd-minute lead, extended by Munoz seven minutes later, but Wes Harding clawed a goal back for the short-handed Championship side in the 13th minute of first-half stoppage time.

Eddie Nketiah restored Palace’s two-goal advantage nine minutes from time, but ongoing concern about Mateta’s injury dampened the hosts’ celebrations. Roberts was later handed a six-match ban.

Quarter-final: Fulham 0-3 Crystal Palace (March 29)

Mateta – sporting an ear protection device – made his return at Craven Cottage, where Palace booked a trip to the sixth FA Cup semi-final in their history with a dominant 3-0 triumph over Fulham.

Eze netted the 34th-minute opener and Ismaila Sarr added a second four minutes later, before Nketiah scored his second of the cup campaign in the second half.

Semi-final: Crystal Palace 3-0 Aston Villa (April 26)

Palace had only previously reached the FA Cup final twice in their history – in 1990 and 2016 – losing on both occasions to Manchester United, on the first occasion following a replay.

The south London support came out in full force at Wembley, where the Eagles’ flare-waving crowd-funded tifo-unfurling blue-and-red legions were in boisterously stark contrast to the more subdued support at the other end.

And their side rose to the occasion, Eze once again opening the scoring with a sumptuous strike one minute before the half hour.

Sarr made it 2-0 with a stylish finish of his own in the second half – moments after Mateta missed a penalty – and bagged a stoppage-time brace to ensure Palace would have another chance to make history at Wembley.