Crystal Palace beat Manchester City to win FA Cup

Crystal Palace lifted their first-ever major trophy on Saturday, defeating Manchester City 1-0 in the FA Cup final at Wembley thanks to a stunning first-half volley from local hero Eberechi Eze.

Eze, who had played a crucial role in Palace’s run to the final with goals in the quarterfinals and semifinals, struck in the 16th minute—completely against the run of play. From there, Palace endured relentless pressure from City, with goalkeeper Dean Henderson delivering a heroic performance to keep the Premier League giants at bay.

Former Manchester United man Henderson saved a penalty from Omar Marmoush in the first half and made a string of exceptional stops as Palace clung to their narrow lead in a thrilling finale.

The result capped a disappointing season for Manchester City, who were denied domestic silverware for the first time since 2016–17 and lost the FA Cup final for a second consecutive year. Despite dominating possession and creating numerous chances, Pep Guardiola’s side lacked their usual cutting edge.

For Palace and their jubilant fans in purple and blue, it was a historic day of celebration. Manager Oliver Glasner, appointed just 15 months ago, became the first Austrian to win the FA Cup, finally delivering glory after the club’s previous final defeats in 1990 and 2016.

City started the match brightly, looking to silence critics who questioned their recent form. Kevin De Bruyne orchestrated the early attacks in his final Wembley appearance for the club, threading a perfect ball to Erling Haaland, only for Henderson to make a brilliant save. Minutes later, he denied Josko Gvardiol’s header.

Palace weathered the storm and stunned City on their first meaningful attack. Jean-Philippe Mateta teed up Daniel Munoz, whose cross was expertly volleyed home by Eze, igniting wild celebrations.

Ismaila Sarr nearly doubled Palace’s lead, but Stefan Ortega saved. Henderson had a close call when he appeared to handle outside the box under pressure from Haaland, but VAR ruled no offense.

City were handed a lifeline when Tyrick Mitchell fouled Bernardo Silva in the box. Surprisingly, Marmoush—not Haaland—stepped up, but his tame penalty was easily saved by Henderson.

Despite having just 19% possession in the first half, Palace went into the break ahead. Munoz thought he’d made it 2-0 after the hour, but VAR disallowed his goal for offside.

City pushed for an equalizer in the final stages, with Jeremy Doku coming closest, but Henderson and Palace’s resolute defense held firm. The announcement of 10 minutes of added time brought groans from the Palace end, but they held on to secure a famous victory.

As the final whistle blew, “Glad All Over” echoed around Wembley, marking the start of a massive celebration for south London.