Crystal Palace celebrating their FA Cup victory at Wembley Stadium       Image credit: tribalfootball

Tunji Faleye with agency report

Crystal Palace made Wembley Stadium their palace on Saturday celebrating their first major victory after beating Manchester City 1-0 in the FA Cup final match. Watch here.

In what marked Kevin De Bruyne’s final FA Cup appearance for City before his expected summer exit, the Belgian maestro began brightly, linking up early with Erling Haaland. The Norwegian striker forced an early save from Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson with a sharp volley.

Despite City’s dominant start and high pressure in the opening quarter-hour, it was Palace who struck first through a swift counterattack. Daniel Muñoz surged forward and delivered a precise cross which Eberechi Eze volleyed into the net, sending the Palace supporters into raptures.

Palace’s defensive resilience was tested repeatedly, and they nearly lost their grip due to two critical moments. First, Henderson rushed out of his area to challenge Haaland and appeared to handle the ball, though VAR chose not to intervene. Later, Tyrick Mitchell’s reckless tackle on Bernardo Silva in the box went unpunished by the referee and VAR, much to City’s dismay.

City were handed a lifeline with a penalty kick, but Henderson—formerly of Manchester United—rose to the occasion with a spectacular one-handed save to deny Omar Marmoush.

The Eagles' shot-stopper continued to frustrate City’s attack, producing another stunning save to deny Jérémy Doku just before halftime.

Palace thought they had extended their lead when Muñoz found the net from a rebound, but the goal was chalked off as Ismaïla Sarr was judged offside in the buildup.

City’s attacking flair was noticeably absent, and their frustration grew when Nico O’Reilly squandered a golden opportunity created by De Bruyne’s inch-perfect pass. In a bold move, Pep Guardiola introduced debutant Claudio Echeverri, who nearly made an instant impact, only to be denied yet again by the outstanding Henderson.

With 10 minutes of stoppage time added, nerves were inevitable for Palace. But City failed to create any meaningful chances in the dying moments, and Roy Hodgson’s men held firm to secure a historic win.

The victory not only brought long-awaited glory to Selhurst Park but also booked Crystal Palace a place in next season’s UEFA Europa League—marking a monumental day in the club’s history.

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