Crystal Palace vs Manchester City Review
Crystal Palace triumphed over Manchester City 1-0 at Wembley in the 2025 FA Cup final, marking the club’s first major trophy and breaking a seven-match winless streak against City. Kevin De Bruyne was instrumental early on, connecting with Erling Haaland, whose volley was expertly saved by Dean Henderson. City dominated the first 15 minutes, but it was a counterattack from Palace that sparked the final. Palace’s own dynamic duo played a key role in the goal, with Daniel Muñoz charging down the left and delivering a precise cross that Eberechi Eze finished with a volley.
Palace put up a strong defense, but two reckless moments nearly jeopardized their efforts. Dean Henderson seemed to lose his composure when he rushed out of his goal to confront Erling Haaland, appearing to handle the ball outside the box as the Norwegian approached. Surprisingly, VAR chose not to intervene, nor did it react when Tyrick Mitchell made a questionable tackle on Bernardo Silva in the penalty area, bringing down the Portuguese midfielder and giving City a penalty. Luckily for Mitchell, Henderson, who City claimed should have been sent off, came to the rescue with an incredible one-handed save against Omar Marmoush’s penalty.
Henderson was proving to be a formidable presence in goal for the Eagles, and he delivered another spectacular save just before halftime, diving to his left to deny Doku’s curling shot. His outstanding performance gave Palace the chance to extend their lead, or so they thought. Muñoz was quick to capitalize on a loose ball in the area that deflected to him off Ismaïla Sarr, who was in an offside position, thus saving City from embarrassment.
City were unusually ineffective in front of goal at Wembley, highlighted when De Bruyne delivered a perfect pass to Nico O’Reilly, whose shot was blocked by Muñoz. As City grew desperate, Guardiola made the rare decision to bring on Echeverri for his debut. This substitution nearly paid off moments later when De Bruyne set him up in the area, but the Argentine could only watch in frustration as Henderson made another save to deny City. Palace, meanwhile, were unlikely to feel secure in the final minutes, especially with 10 minutes of added time displayed, which only heightened their anxiety.
Palace managed to hold on, fulfilling the dream of every ambitious club that has lacked regular cup final appearances in the age of big money. In addition to finally adding silverware to the Selhurst Park trophy cabinet, they will also compete in the UEFA Europa League next season, making it a truly memorable day for the club.
