Eze and Henderson shine as Crystal Palace stun Man City at Wembley | OneFootball

Crystal Palace Triumph Over Manchester City to Clinch Historic FA Cup Win

Glasner’s vision delivers reward at Wembley

At long last, the red and blue half of south London has its moment. Crystal Palace, a club long accustomed to looking up at English football’s elite, ascended to glory at Wembley with a dogged, dazzling 1-0 win over Manchester City in the FA Cup final. The first major trophy in their 119-year history was earned not by fluke, but by spirit, structure and searing quality in key moments.

Eberechi Eze, a player of poise and panache, delivered the decisive strike on 16 minutes. A surging counter-attack, orchestrated by Oliver Glasner’s disciplined shape and executed by Daniel Munoz’s razor-sharp cross, was finished with assurance by Eze. It was a goal that encapsulated Palace’s gameplan—absorb, release, punish.

Henderson rises to occasion on big stage

Manchester City had their chances—plenty of them. But they found themselves repeatedly repelled by a Palace side playing with purpose and by a goalkeeper in Dean Henderson who turned Wembley into his own playground.

Controversy inevitably found its way into the narrative. When Henderson handled outside the box under pressure from Erling Haaland in the first half, City screamed for red. VAR deemed Haaland was moving away from goal, so the Palace keeper escaped with a reprieve. From that point on, he was impenetrable.

City’s frustration mounted when Henderson dived to his right to claw away Omar Marmoush’s penalty—a moment etched in FA Cup folklore as he became the first keeper since Petr Cech in 2010 to save a spot-kick in a final (excluding shootouts).

City stutter as golden era dims

For Manchester City, this was more than just a defeat. This was a warning bell tolling at the tail-end of a gilded era. No trophy this season—the first time Pep Guardiola has endured such a fate since 2016-17. And more worrying, perhaps, was the disjointed nature of this display.

They had 78% possession, yet lacked incision. Kevin De Bruyne’s muted presence and Bernardo Silva’s uncertainty symbolised a team in transition. Haaland, still haunted by Wembley, remained goalless in his sixth outing at the national stadium and allowed Marmoush the penalty responsibility—a decision that backfired spectacularly.

The mood soured further as Guardiola confronted Henderson post-match, an crack in the usual cool façade. Next up: Bournemouth on Tuesday. City must now lift themselves quickly to avoid the unthinkable—missing out on the Champions League.

Palace’s new chapter begins

While City contemplate what went wrong, Palace can savour the sweet taste of history. The ghosts of 1990 and 2016 have finally been laid to rest. Tears flowed in the stands, while Glasner—serene as ever—embraced his players with quiet satisfaction.

Palace’s reward isn’t just silver. It’s a place in the Europa League, continental football under the Selhurst Park lights, and a new dawn for a club so often overlooked. From October struggles to May magnificence, this was a journey carved in belief and delivered in brilliance.