Camille Naredo

Article (news)

Crystal Palace

Agence France-Presse

LONDON, United Kingdom -- Crystal Palace stunned Manchester City on Saturday to win the FA Cup for the first time as Eberechi Eze sealed a 1-0 victory that piled on the misery for Pep Guardiola&#x27;s troubled side.Eze&#x27;s early strike rocked City before Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson saved Omar Marmoush&#x27;s penalty late in the first half of a dramatic final at Wembley.While Eze&#x27;s clinical finish was the culmination of his remarkable rise from rejection by Arsenal, Fulham and Millwall as a youngster, it was Henderson who emerged as Palace&#x27;s hero with a series of superb saves.City will protest that Henderson should have been sent off for a first-half handball outside his penalty area.But Henderson made the most of that controversial moment to ensure Palace clinched the first major trophy in their 120-year history and a place in next season&#x27;s Europa League.&quot;To be honest I can&#x27;t really believe it. I think when you play this game 10 times, you win it once, and this happened today,&quot; Palace boss Oliver Glasner said.&quot;The goal was the first time we were in their half and then we just defended with every single part of the body.&quot;Beaten by Manchester United in their previous FA Cup final appearances in 1990 and 2016, Palace&#x27;s shock win was no more than they deserved as City once again imploded in a dismal season that will be their first without major silverware since 2016-17.&quot;We did everything but if you&#x27;re not going to score goals, you&#x27;re not going to win,&quot; Guardiola said.&quot;We performed really well. Football is like this sometimes.&quot;On the Henderson controversy, Guardiola would only add: &quot;Ask the referee.&quot;After winning the Premier League in the previous four seasons, City have endured a turbulent campaign that ranks among the worst in Guardiola&#x27;s storied managerial career.Currently sixth in the Premier League, City host Bournemouth on Tuesday and travel to Fulham on May 25 as they try to salvage their wretched year by at least qualifying for the Champions League.Not for the first time, Guardiola sprang a surprise with his selection for a final as he picked an ultra-attacking line-up with no holding midfielder.<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/othersports/2024/12/21/guardiola-confident-of-haaland-revival-if-man-city-play-better-1502">READ: Guardiola confident of Haaland revival if Man City &#x27;play better&#x27;</a></div><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/othersports/2025/2/26/guardiola-denies-man-city-rebuild-is-biggest-challenge-of-career-1716">READ: Guardiola denies Man City rebuild is biggest challenge of career</a></div><div> </div><div>- Guardiola gamble backfires -</div>However, Guardiola&#x27;s habit of tinkering with his tactics for finals has backfired in the past.Asked about City&#x27;s line-up just before kick-off, Guardiola said he was putting his faith in &quot;talent&quot;, but Glasner had spotted an opening, saying: &quot;When you have so many attacking players it could give you an opportunity in transitions.&quot;Erling Haaland nearly gave City the perfect start when he stretched to meet Kevin De Bruyne&#x27;s cross with a volley that forced a scrambled save from Henderson.Josko Gvardiol&#x27;s towering header from Savinho&#x27;s corner was smartly repelled by Henderson.But Glasner&#x27;s clever decision to set up Palace deep inside their own half had lured City in for the sucker punch.Eze delivered the knockout blow from Palace&#x27;s first attack in the 16th minute as Glasner&#x27;s men launched a brilliant break from their penalty area.Jean-Philippe Mateta held up Chris Richards&#x27; long pass and laid it off to Daniel Munoz, who surged down the right flank before crossing towards Eze, who guided a superb volley past Stefan Ortega from 12 yards.City were furious when Henderson escaped a red card when VAR checked his handball, which appeared to take place outside the area, after the &#x27;keeper rushed out to challenge Haaland.VAR said it was &quot;not an obvious goal-scoring opportunity&quot; but it proved crucial as Henderson rescued Palace in the 35th minute.Tyrick Mitchell conceded the penalty with a needless foul on Bernardo Silva as the City midfielder ran away from goal.Instead of Haaland taking the spot-kick, it was Marmoush who stepped up after the Norway star gave him the ball in a disastrous move as Henderson plunged to his right to keep out the Egyptian&#x27;s strike.Henderson was in inspired form and he denied City again, clawing away a Jeremy Doku strike that appeared destined for the top corner.Defending tirelessly, Palace were indebted to Henderson, who made two more brilliant saves from Claudio Echeverri to cap a chastening afternoon for Guardiola.<div>© Agence France-Presse</div>

Crystal Palace stunned Manchester City on Saturday to win the FA Cup for the first time as Eberechi Eze sealed a 1-0 victory that piled on the misery for Pep Guardiola's troubled side.

Crystal Palace stunned Manchester City on Saturday to win the FA Cup for the first time as Eberechi Eze sealed a 1-0 victory that piled on the misery for Pep Guardiola's troubled side.

Palace stun Man City to win FA Cup for first time

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Traffic

Manila

Horoscope

Sports

Palace stun Man City to win FA Cup for first time

Agence France-Presse,

Steven Griffiths

Published May 18, 2025 04:48 PM PHT

Read More:

abssports

football

FA Cup

Crystal Palace

Manchester City

Pep Guardiola

Eberechi Eze

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.