Crystal Palace 1 – 0 Manchester City
What no previous team in the club’s history could achieve, AJ-Henderson and his teammates finally did.
In a season marked by frustration and failure, Manchester City lost their way once again. Despite being far superior in strength and squad depth, they were defeated by Crystal Palace, who were crowned FA Cup champions.
In front of 85,000 fans at Wembley Stadium in London on Saturday, Palace secured a 1-0 win in the final. The only goal of the match came early on, scored by Eberechi Eze.
Before this, Palace had reached the FA Cup final twice, losing both times to Manchester United. But this time, they beat another Manchester giant to lift their first major trophy in the club’s 120-year history.
City dominated possession with over 75% of the ball and fired 23 shots, six of which were on target. Palace, on the other hand, managed just seven shots, with only two on target—but that was enough.
The hero of this historic win was undoubtedly Eze, but goalkeeper Dean Henderson also played a crucial role with a string of brilliant saves that kept the favorites at bay.
City started strong, maintaining total control of the ball. In the sixth minute, Kevin De Bruyne whipped in a cross to the far post for Haaland, who managed to connect, but his effort failed to beat the keeper.
For the first 15 minutes, City had more than 85% possession, forcing Palace to defend in numbers.
However, in the 16th minute, Palace struck from their very first counterattack. Daniel Muñoz made a run down the right and delivered a low cross near the penalty spot. Eberechi Eze, closely marked, fired a brilliant volley into the net.
Seeing his side concede like that, Guardiola was left holding his head in disbelief in the dugout.
Just five minutes later, Muñoz again set up a similar attack, but this time Ismaïla Sarr’s shot was too weak and went straight to the keeper.
City had a golden opportunity to equalize in the 33rd minute when Bernardo Silva was fouled in the box, earning a penalty. Haaland initially stepped up, but handed the ball to Omar Marmoush instead. The Egyptian forward’s shot was saved, and Dean Henderson also denied Haaland’s rebound.
In the 43rd minute, Henderson made another stunning save—this time blocking a powerful strike from Jeremy Doku inside the box.
Palace thought they had doubled their lead in the 57th minute when Muñoz found the net, but VAR ruled it offside and City breathed a sigh of relief.
City continued to press hard, but the goal they desperately needed never came. In the second minute of stoppage time, De Bruyne’s shot missed the post by inches. Three minutes later, Henderson made yet another incredible save.
When the final whistle blew, the Palace end of the stadium erupted in celebration—while the City side fell into a heavy silence.
