In the first edition of the FA Cup in 1872, Crystal Palace was the only one of the current professional clubs in England that participated in the tournament, where they were eliminated in the semifinals by the Royal Engineers.
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Despite this history and longevity, with some years of inactivity before adopting professionalism, Crystal Palace never won a title in England in the First Division/Premier League or the FA Cup. Their greatest achievement was lifting the cup twice as champions of the second division.
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That drought ended on May 17th when surprisingly, Crystal Palace defeated Manchester City 1-0 in the FA Cup final held at Wembley, the cathedral of football.
How did Crystal Palace win the FA Cup?
The South London team defeated one of the wealthiest teams in the world with a goal from Eberechi Eze in the fifteenth minute.
The standout figure for Crystal Palace was goalkeeper Dean Henderson, who saved a penalty from Omar Marmoush at the 36th minute. It was supposed to be taken by Erling Haaland, but he passed the ball to the Egyptian instead. “I thought Haaland was going to take it,” said coach Pep Guardiola after the match.
The Palace goalkeeper was also a protagonist for cutting off a controversial City attack, but not even the VAR convinced the referee of a clear red card for City for handling the ball outside the box.
A season without titles for City
Manchester City, seeking their eighth FA Cup, escaped the 2-0 deficit in the resumption, which was disallowed for offside against Daniel Muñoz. The Spanish coach failed to react in the second half, with very few chances and only some pressure on the opposing area during the lengthy ten-minute stoppage time, well defended by Palace.
City couldn’t avoid their first season without titles since 2017. A true failure given the massive investment in the squad. Guardiola’s team now has to deliver in the two remaining Premier League matches to secure a spot in the next Champions League.
Meanwhile, Crystal Palace, which was a clear candidate for relegation in the first round of the English league, made history by winning their first title and secured a spot in the Europa League, their first international tournament in history.