Crystal Palace made history at Wembley as Eberechi Eze’s first-half strike secured a stunning 1-0 victory over Manchester City, earning the South London club their first-ever FA Cup title.
In a tense and dramatic final, Eze continued his fine scoring form by netting for the fifth consecutive game.
The decisive moment came in the 16th minute when he met Daniel Muñoz’s low cross with a clinical finish—Palace’s first meaningful attack of the match.
Manchester City, heavy favourites and chasing yet another domestic title under Pep Guardiola, were left stunned. Controversy soon followed when Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson appeared to handle the ball outside his area as Erling Haaland bore down on goal. Despite loud appeals, both the referee and VAR waved play on.
Henderson would go on to play a heroic role in Palace’s victory. The former Manchester United keeper denied Omar Marmoush from the penalty spot, and later produced superb saves to frustrate Haaland and substitute Jeremy Doku.
City dominated possession in the second half, but Palace remained dangerous on the counter. Muñoz had the ball in the net again just before the hour mark, only for VAR to rule the effort out for offside.
But it was Henderson once more who stood tall, preserving Palace’s slender lead with a string of crucial interventions.
At the final whistle, the Palace players erupted in celebration, having defied the odds to lift the oldest trophy in English football for the very first time. It was a moment of glory that will live forever in the hearts of their supporters—and one that firmly etched Eze and Henderson’s names into club folklore.