Crystal Palace v Man City LIVE: FA Cup final result and reaction as Eagles lift cup for first time in history
Crystal Palace 1-0 Man City: The Eagles held on for a famous victory after Ebere Eze’s goal and Dean Henderson’s save to deny Omar Marmoush’s penalty in a Wembley final packed with controversy
A heroic Crystal Palace performance downed Manchester City to claim the FA Cup and a first major trophy at Wembley Stadium.
Ebere Eze's first-half goal and Dean Henderson's penalty save proved vital moments for Oliver Glasner's side in a day of destiny for the Eagles.
Pep Guardiola will feel aggrieved after Henderson remained on the pitch, despite a VAR check, with the Eagles goalkeeper touching the ball outside the box and appearing to deny the Norwegian a clear goalscoring opportunity.
Daniel Munoz thought he had doubled Palace's lead in the second half, but Ismaila Sarr was offside after a VAR check.
And Guardiola could only throw on Phil Foden and a debut for Argentine youngster Claudio Echeverri, who was denied by Henderson late on.
Palace survived and held on for the greatest moment in their history.
Follow all the latest reaction and analysis from the FA Cup final below:
Why this FA Cup final means so much for both Crystal Palace and Man City
Just at the point when Crystal Palace’s FA Cup run was about to take off, manager Oliver Glasner offered a little insight into one of the reasons why. The Austrian was settling into the dugout before the 3-0 evisceration of Fulham at Craven Cottage, and had a moment to appreciate the atmosphere.
“This is why I love football,” Glasner enthused. Pep Guardiola would no doubt agree as he steps out onto the Wembley pitch before Saturday’s final between Palace and his Manchester City, having this week described the FA Cup as the most “beautiful domestic cup competition in the world”.
Glasner certainly paid due respect to that status throughout Palace’s run, never once displaying any kind of modern attitude towards the cup. Glasner has played full teams in every round, and every game has been treated like the final itself. Palace would value victory in the actual final more than arguably anyone in the English game, given the club has never won a major trophy. The closest they came was two previous FA Cup finals, both lost to Manchester United, of which we’re likely to see a lot of highlights in the build-up.
Why this FA Cup final means so much for both Crystal Palace and Man City
Pep speaks on line-up
Regarding his line-up, this is what Pep Guardiola had to say.
On Kovacic: “He doesn't feel perfect, Tuesday we have a game, so I don't take the risk".
On Haaland: "With Erling we won the treble, we're lucky to have him, we're not good without his goals, I don't know if he can play the whole game."
Team news
[It] feels like the first time we've seen "a Pep" for a while, in terms of formation.
Adam Wharton has recovered from a knock, which could be crucial. He was superb against Aston Villa.
Team news
A remarkable team selection from Pep Guardiola, who seems to have overloaded on attackers and forgot more about the midfield.
Mateo Kovacic is deemed not fully fit but Rico Lewis and James McAtee aren't even on the bench - and are just omitted - while Vitor Reis and Claudio Echeverri are.
Bernardo Silva could be overworked, given the five more attack-minded players in front of him, and Manuel Akanji could have a big job of stopping Eberechi Eze.
City team news
Pep Guardiola has made five changes to the side that drew 0-0 to Southampton.
Stefan Ortega comes in for Ederson in goal, while in defence Rico Lewis makes way for Nico O’Reilly, who shifts across to left-back.
In midfield, Mateo Kovacic comes out in place of Omar Marmoush, with Kevin De Bruyne moving into a deeper role.
In the final two changes, James McAtee and Phil Foden come off the wings in favour of Savinho and Jeremy Doku.
Team news
Palace manager Oliver Glasner has made two changes to the side that beat Spurs last weekend.
Both are in midfield, with Adam Wharton and Daichi Kamada replacing Will Hughes and Jefferson Lerma.
In attack, Jean-Philippe Mateta leads the line with Ismaila Sarr and Ebere Eze in support.
Line-ups
Palace XI: Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Guehi; Munoz, Wharton, Kamada, Mitchell; Sarr, Eze; Mateta
Subs: Turner, Ward, Lerma, Nketiah, Clyne, Hughes, Esse, Chilwell, Devenny.
Line-ups
City XI: Ortega Moreno; Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol, O'Reilly; Bernardo, De Bruyne (C); Savinho, Marmoush, Doku; Haaland.
Subs: Ederson, Grealish, Nico, Gundogan, Reis, Nunes, Echeverri, Khusanov, Foden.
Match facts
City have won their last three FA Cup meetings with Crystal Palace by an aggregate score of 18-4. The most recent meeting was in the fourth round in 2016-17, with the Citizens winning 3-0 at Selhurst Park.
They are unbeaten in their last seven meetings with Crystal Palace in all competitions (W4 D3), since a 2-0 loss in the Premier League in October 2021.
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