The Crystal Palace has won the first major trophy in the club’s history after securing a 1-0 victory against Manchester City in the FA Cup final.
The victory guaranteed Crystal Palace an opportunity to be one of the teams to represent England next season in continental football.
During the game played inside the Wembley stadium on Saturday, the England forward, Eberechi Eze, was Palace’s hero when he crowned a superb counter-attack by sweeping home Daniel Munoz’s cross 16 minutes after kick-off.
City, meanwhile, endured a day of total frustration as they failed to win a trophy in a season for the first time since manager Pep Guardiola’s first campaign in charge in 2016-17.
They were furious when Palace keeper Dean Henderson was not shown a red card when he handled outside his area under pressure from Erling Haaland in the first half, the video assistant referee (VAR) adjudging that City’s striker was moving away from goal and therefore not denied a clear opportunity.
Henderson then emerged as Palace’s hero when he saved Omar Marmoush’s penalty after 36 minutes following Tyrick Mitchell’s foul on Bernardo Silva, Haaland stepping aside from spot-kick duties after failing with three of his past seven attempts.
City dominated possession but Oliver Glasner’s side defended magnificently, with Henderson outstanding, saving from Haaland, Josko Gvardiol and Jeremy Doku in the first half, then denying Claudio Jeremias Echeverri after the break.
The final whistle sparked scenes of ecstasy among Palace fans as the long wait for success was over for the Eagles.
