FA Cup final: Crystal Palace 1 Manchester City 0 – Eze goal, Henderson heroics win first ever trophy

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Crystal Palace won their first ever major trophy — and a place in the Europa League — as they beat Manchester City 1-0 in the FA Cup final at Wembley.

Eberechi Eze scored as Oliver Glasner’s team scored with a move from a goal kick after being under sustained pressure for the first 15 minutes of the match.

Manchester City wasted chances, including a penalty as Dean Henderson denied Omar Marmoush in the first half, and could not find the breakthrough.

Here our writers break down a thrilling final…

Eze’s sucker punch 

Palace’s opener, a superb, sweeping move finished by Eze, showcased all the elements that make them such a potent counterpunching side under Oliver Glasner.

City had suffocated them in the opening 15 minutes, hogging 88 per cent possession and pinning Palace back. But Glasner’s side are comfortable soaking up pressure and waiting for the right moment to strike, winning both the quarter and semi-final 3-0 with just 30 per cent possession. 

Then came their chance. With just nine touches in 13 seconds, Palace sliced through City from one end of the pitch to the other.

EZE GIVES CRYSTAL PALACE THE LEAD 😤

A dream goal for @CPFC 🌟#ITVFootball | #EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/ASoptg4rOw

— ITV Football (@itvfootball) May 17, 2025

[For U.S. readers]

EZE OPENS THE SCORING FOR PALACE VS. MAN CITY IN THE FA CUP FINAL!

AN INCREDIBLE TEAM GOAL 🔥 pic.twitter.com/tSWPUgsEhy

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) May 17, 2025

It started by the corner flag, where Chris Richards launched the ball into midfield. Jean-Philippe Mateta used his strength to roll the tightly-marking Josko Gvardiol, controlling the ball on his chest in one smooth movement before laying it back to Daichi Kamada. Kamada, the first Japanese man to play in an FA Cup final, just about got it back to Mateta, falling over as he played a first-time pass.

Mateta gathered the ball with two touches, then picked out the bulldozing run of Daniel Munoz on the right. Munoz surged forward, knocked the ball ahead of him, and whipped a low cross into the box from the corner of the area.

Eze, still at full sprint, met it with a perfectly timed side-footed volley, guiding the ball past Stefan Ortega.

The move laid bare the risks in Guardiola’s decision to play without a nominal defensive midfielder. When Mateta brought the ball down on halfway, Kevin De Bruyne was the deepest of City’s midfielders and was nowhere near him. 

The vulnerability was clear, but it took a clinical Palace to exploit it

Conor O’Neill

Henderson: Handball outside the box and penalty save

(Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Dean Henderson may never have a more extreme ten-minute period in his life than the one he experienced in the first half.

In the 24th minute, Josko Gvardiol punted a ball over the top that set Erling Haaland into full pelt. He beat Marc Guehi for pace, which saw Henderson come to the edge of the penalty area to collect the ball, but it was not arriving quick enough. He ended up caught in no man’s land.

Haaland stretched out his leg to poke the ball away from Henderson, but the goalkeeper flicked the ball away with his hand. In real time it looked borderline, but replays showed he was clearly outside the area.

VAR assessed whether Henderson had committed a red card offence in denying a goal-scoring opportunity as he looked destined to be clear through on an empty goal.

But VAR decided it was not a red as it was felt the direction the Norwegian was heading in made a goalscoring opportunity possible but not obvious.

Michal Salisbury could therefore not award a foul as VAR only has jurisdiction over penalties, goals, red cards and mistaken identity. It cannot retrospectively issue a free-kick or yellow card for handling outside the box.

It was a reprieve for Henderson, who nine minutes saved a penalty from Marmoush — his fourth save from the last eight he has faced.

Tyrique Mitchell went to ground recklessly, and Bernardo Silva went down in anticipation of contact, an on-field award by Stuart Atwell that was upheld by VAR.

Marmoush’s telegraphed finish was parried wide by Henderson, who marginally kept his back foot on the line as he dived to ensure there was no retake.

He then showed great agility to bounce back up and intercept Haaland’s attempt to cut back the rebound.

LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 17: Goalkeeper Dean Henderson of Crystal Palace saves a penalty during the Emirates FA Cup Final match between Crystal Palace and Manchester City at Wembley Stadium on May 17, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Ed Sykes/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)

Palace’s goalkeeper has supreme confidence in himself and is one of the contenders for their player of the season. 

His shot-stopping has been outstanding, with some saves even made using his head, and he has kept 11 clean sheets this term, behind only Matz Sels and David Raya. 

Palace supporters have frequently serenaded him, singing “England’s No 1,” and he believes that is something he can achieve.

The doubts over him after arriving from Manchester United, in a deal which could reach £20million, in August 2023, have been banished. It took time for him to establish himself ahead of Sam Johnstone as No 1, especially after a thigh injury on his debut, but he has been formidable since. Occasional mistakes are understandable and forgivable. 

He told reporters when previewing the FA Cup final that he had joined Palace to “help take them to the next level”.

His penalty save did exactly that.

Jordan Campbell and Matt Woosnam

Why didn’t Haaland take the penalty?

At the risk of sounding stupid when reasons are given after full-time, there is surely no real justification for Haaland not taking that penalty?

Never mind his stature as main man in the team, 10-year-contract and all that, he is just the main penalty taker and the guy who is such a goal threat that City cannot be quite as solid as they would be with a more fluid forward who can link with midfield.

That is fine by the way, as long as you put the ball in the net. And yes that includes penalties! Especially in a team that hardly lacks that kind of prowess elsewhere. Of course, Haaland has missed one or two in his career but — at the risk of falling foul to official reasoning like ‘Marmoush did better at them in training this week’ — you simply have to step up when your team needs you and do what you do best.

Any other reason, be it related to fitness or sharpness or whatever, would surely mean he was not able to play at all? It makes no sense, especially on a day when City created decent chances that were spurned by players who are not, well, the deadliest striker on the planet.

Sam Lee

Did Guardiola get his tactics right?

Guardiola heeded Glasner’s words, shaking up his tactics for the final. After Manchester City’s 5-2 league win last month, Glasner said: ‘I told Pep after the game that he can’t play this system (again), because we will beat it.’ Unfortunately for the City manager, they still lost.

That 5-2 win marked the beginning of a tactical shift from Guardiola, as he abandoned his usual inverted full-back setup and instead pushed them high and wide. The alteration gave City more verve and dynamism in midfield, but without the security of a back three, they looked more vulnerable on the break. 

In the final, Guardiola reverted to his traditional set-up, with Nico O’Reilly tucking into midfield when City were in possession. But where that role is usually supported by a defensively minded midfielder, O’Reilly was flanked by either Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne. 

Silva and De Bruyne offered creativity and control on the ball in possession, but neither provides much by way of recovery pace and the threat on the counter looked a glaring weakness from the outset. 

So it proved when Palace swept forward, cutting through wide open gaps in City’s midfield, before Eze arrived to volley home Munoz’s cross.

This was the first time Guardiola had started De Bruyne, Marmoush, and Haaland together in the same lineup, something that he’d hinted at last week provided he could find the right “balance”. 

Tweaking lineups on big occasions is classic Guardiola, and against Palace, his choice to go without a recognised defensive midfielder echoed the 2021 Champions League final, when he left out Fernandinho and lost 1-0 to Chelsea. 

It would be harsh to say the tweak failed, given City’s dominance, the chances they created, and the penalty they missed. But the question will linger whether a more defensively minded midfielder prevents that opening Eze goal. 

Guardiola often saves his boldest experiments for the biggest stages. Sometimes they backfire.

Conor O’Neill

What does this mean for Palace?

Everything. It is the greatest achievement in the club’s history, led by the best manager in their history.

Forget the pain of Mark Clattenburg failing to play advantage when Connor Wickham scored against Manchester United in 2016, or Alan Pardew’s dance which jinxed and embarrassed them after Jason Puncheon’s opening goal. Forget that they led for only three minutes. 

All of that pain has given this sweet, sweet success more meaning. 

The first major trophy in the club’s history. They will enjoy a European adventure at last after being denied in 1991 when finishing third in the top flight with only one place available in the UEFA Cup, which went to Liverpool. 

After three administrations, almost being liquidated in 2010, only to be saved by four Palace fans, the 5,000 supporters at Hillsborough on the final day of that 2009-10 season plagued by financial difficulties and uncertainty over the club’s future, it makes the journey and achievement an even more incredible one, and this is a euphoric moment which they will treasure forever. This team will go down as the best in their history. 

It will help them keep hold of their manager, sure to be in demand, and their best players. But also attract some of the brightest talent from elsewhere.

There have been so many nearly moments, but this time they did it. They dared to dream, dared to believe and they achieved.

Matt Woosnam

What did Glasner say?

We will bring you this after he has spoken at the post-match press conference.

What did Guardiola say?

We will bring you this after he has spoken at the post-match press conference.

What next for Palace?

Tuesday, May 20: Wolves (Home), Premier League, 8pm UK, 3pm ET

What next for City?

Tuesday, May 20: Bournemouth (Home), Premier League, 8pm UK, 3pm ET

This news was originally published on this post .

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