A day that will live long in the memory of Crystal Palace fans | OneFootball

Crystal Palace buried the ghosts of their FA Cup final past to secure the club’s first ever major trophy with a win over Manchester City at Wembley.

Palace boss Oliver Glasner had said after these two sides met last month and Palace lost 5-2 that he believed he could “crack their system” if his side were to play City again this season. Those words may have seemed crazy just after a heavy defeat, but the Austrian had full faith in his team, and rightly so.

It almost felt written in the stars for the Eagles to win. An early goal from Ebere Eze completely against the run of play, and Dean Henderson saving Omar Marmoush’s penalty shortly after he could have been sent off for handling the ball outside of the area were evidence of that, and when Kevin De Bruyne shanked an effort over the bar from a few yards out, that feeling only grew.

Palace struggled to adjust to the size of the occasion in the early stages, and it is difficult to remember a single instance in the first 15 minutes when they forayed into the Manchester City half, but all of that changed in the 16th minute when Daniel Munoz ventured down the right wing and delivered a teasing cross which Eberechi Eze brilliantly finished.

The goal was so against the run of play that the City players seemed stunned. Pep Guardiola flapped him arms about in disgust at the defending, as he often has done this season.

As the first half progressed, Palace’s counter-attacking tactics began to see more and more success, and Eze and Munoz were constant threats.

Referee Stuart Attwell was happy to let the game flow, and brushed away a few challenges that would normally be given as fouls, but it helped the game breathe though angered the City players, who felt they were being hard done by.

The tie changed again just past the half hour mark when Tyrick Mitchell brought down Bernardo Silva inside the box. Attwell waited several long moments before pointing to the spot, the correct decision. It was to be Marmoush against Dean Henderson, and after a delayed wait to take it, the Egyptian saw his effort denied thanks to a wonderful save.

The penalty sparked two debates, should Henderson have been on the pitch after a possible handball outside the box? And why did City give the penalty to Marmoush, opting against their usual taker Erling Haaland?

Guardiola’s men came out bright in the second half but the contest was almost ended in the 58th minute when Munoz put the ball in the back of the net. Fortunately for City, the Palace celebrations were cut short and it was ruled out for an offside in the build up.

The Eagles were soaring and though Guardiola’s side tried, they lacked that clinical edge in front of goal. Nico O’Reilly and substitute and Claudio Echeverri both spurned big opportunities to score.

But to a man, the Palace players were brilliant, as they knew they would have to be. Such was the belief in this Palace team that when captain Marc Guehi had to come off injured in the 61st minute, they hardly suffered.

To say that this will live long in the memory of the Palace fans here at Wembley would be an understatement. For the first time in their 164-year history, the Eagles have a trophy.