- (Image: Crystal Palace on X)
- WEMBLEY — Crystal Palace etched their name into English football folklore on
Saturday as they stunned Manchester City 1-0 in the FA Cup final to lift their
first-ever major trophy in 164 years, at the Wembley Stadium.
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- Eberechi Eze was the hero at Wembley, scoring the decisive
goal in the 16th minute to deliver a moment of glory that will be remembered
for generations in south London.
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- Eze latched onto a clever pass and weaved through the City
defence before calmly slotting past Stefan Ortega to send the Palace end into
delirium. His goal was not just a spark of brilliance, but the foundation of a
monumental upset against a City side that had dominated domestic football for
nearly a decade.
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- Manchester City responded with urgency and nearly found a
way back into the game when Erling Haaland broke through on goal, only for
Palace keeper Dean Henderson to controversially handle the ball outside the
penalty area.
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- Referee Stuart Attwell initially let play continue, and
though VAR intervened, it was eventually ruled that Henderson had not denied a
clear goalscoring opportunity, sparing him a red card. Just minutes later,
Henderson further justified that decision by saving a penalty from Omar
Marmoush after a Palace handball inside the box.
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- The second half saw City push relentlessly for an equaliser,
but Pep Guardiola’s decision to go without a holding midfielder left his side
exposed in transition. Palace thought they had doubled their lead through
Daniel Munoz in the 58th minute, but the goal was disallowed for offside after
a VAR review.
