Postpublished at 19:14 British Summer Time
FT: Crystal Palace 1-0 Man City
Watch the highlights as Crystal Palace win their first ever major trophy.
Palace shock Man City to win first major trophy in their history
Palace shock Man City to win first major trophy in their history
Crystal Palace won the first major trophy in the club's history with victory against Manchester City in the FA Cup final at Wembley.
Eberechi Eze was Palace's hero when he crowned a superb counter-attack by sweeping home Daniel Munoz's cross after 16 minutes.
City, meanwhile, endured a day of total frustration as they failed to win a trophy in a season for the first time since manager Pep Guardiola's first campaign in charge in 2016-17.
They were furious when Palace keeper Dean Henderson was not shown a red card when he handled outside his area under pressure from Erling Haaland in the first half, the video assistant referee (VAR) adjudging that City's striker was moving away from goal and therefore not denied a clear opportunity.
Henderson then emerged as Palace's hero when he saved Omar Marmoush's penalty after 36 minutes following Tyrick Mitchell's foul on Bernardo Silva, Haaland stepping aside from spot-kick duties after failing with three of his past seven attempts.
City dominated possession but Oliver Glasner's side defended magnificently, with Henderson outstanding, saving from Haaland, Josko Gvardiol and Jeremy Doku in the first half, then denying Claudio Echeverri after the break.
The final whistle sparked scenes of ecstasy among Palace fans as the long wait for success was over for the Eagles.
Should Henderson have been sent off for handball?
The greatest day in Palace's history was richly deserved and reward for faith in the work of Glasner, who has masterminded their superb run to FA Cup glory.
Palace did not win their first Premier League game this season until 27 October, but faith in the Austrian never wavered and the payback is this big prize - as well as a place in the Europa League next season.
Eze and Henderson have been two standout heroes on the road to Wembley, and they inspired the Eagles once again as City were punished at one end and thwarted at the other.
Eze provided the moment of magic, as he did in the quarter-final win at Fulham and the semi-final win against Aston Villa at Wembley, pouncing ruthlessly on Munoz's cross to leave Stefan Ortega helpless.
City will forever believe Henderson should have seen red when he clawed the ball away from Haaland in the first half, but VAR ruled otherwise and Henderson produced an otherwise faultless display in front of watching England head coach Thomas Tuchel.
Henderson denies Marmoush from the penalty spot with brilliant save
When he dived to his right to save Marmoush's penalty, Henderson became the first keeper to save a penalty in an FA Cup final - excluding shootouts - since Petr Cech for Chelsea against Portsmouth in 2010.
City may have held sway in possession, with 78% compared to City's 22%, but when it mattered Eze produced the goods again.
Munoz was another standout performer for Palace, whose fans had to go through 10 agonising minutes of additional time before the memories of losing FA Cup finals in 1990 and 2016 could be banished.
Glasner's reaction, like his management, was calm and measured, while joy exploded for Palace elsewhere.
There were tears of joy on the pitch and in the stands as Palace finally sampled the sweet taste of success.
'How can they get this wrong?' - Rooney on Henderson handball
City's FA Cup final display summed up their season of disappointment under Guardiola. It was laboured, faltering and came up short.
There was the heavy scent of the end of an era for a great side as there was no glorious last hurrah for Kevin de Bruyne, whose City career is coming to a close, while Silva may also come into the same category.
City, as expected, dominated the ball, but there was a lack of snap and urgency in their play and they can have few complaints apart from perhaps the injustice they will feel about Henderson's handball.
It was also another miserable Wembley day for Haaland, who has failed to score in six games at Wembley or in eight finals for City.
It was a major surprise when he passed on penalty duties to strike partner Marmoush, whose unconvincing effort was saved by Henderson.
This was surely the time and place for Haaland, the main man, to step forward and assume responsibility.
This is the second year in a row they have lost the FA Cup final after losing to Manchester United.
Guardiola cut an irritated figure, appearing to exchange words with Henderson after the final whistle.
City must now refocus quickly for Tuesday's Premier League game at home to Bournemouth, with work still to do to finish in the top five and qualify for next season's Champions League.
For a club so used to success, finishing without a trophy is bad enough. Failure to reach Europe's elite tournament would represent a catastrophe.
After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users.
Manager: Oliver Glasner
Formation: 3 - 4 - 2 - 1
Manager: Pep Guardiola
Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1
Manager: Oliver Glasner
Formation: 3 - 4 - 2 - 1
Manager: Pep Guardiola
Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1
FA Cup
All competitions
All competitions
All competitions
Manchester City are competing in their 14th FA Cup final. They’ve won the trophy seven times, behind only Arsenal (14), Manchester United (13), Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham (8 each).
Crystal Palace are competing in their third FA Cup final, losing to Manchester United in both 1990 and 2016. They’re one of four clubs to compete in two finals without ever winning the trophy along with Queen’s Park (1884 & 1885), Birmingham City (1931 & 1956) and Watford (1984 & 2019).
Manchester City lost the 2024 FA Cup final 2-1 against Manchester United. Only once before have they lost consecutive appearances in major domestic finals (FA Cup/League Cup), losing the 1926 and 1933 FA Cup showpieces against Bolton and Everton respectively.
Manchester 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.
Manchester City 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.
Both teams have scored 2+ goals in each of the last four meetings between Crystal Palace and Man City, with two 2-2 draws, and 4-2 and 5-2 victories for the Citizens. The last time two top-flight clubs both scored 2+ goals in five consecutive meetings was between 1975 and 1977 (Derby vs Newcastle).
None of Man City’s last 44 games in the FA Cup have been drawn (W38 D6). Five of the Citizens’ six defeats in that run have come at Wembley Stadium.
Crystal Palace have conceded just one goal in the 2024-25 FA Cup so far, while they’ve scored exactly three goals in their fifth round, quarter-final and semi-final victories this term.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has won the FA Cup twice (2019, 2023) and the League Cup four times (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021). He could become the second manager to win both major English domestic competitions 3+ times after Alex Ferguson (5x FA Cup, 4x League Cup).
Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner is set to be the first Austrian to take charge of a team in the FA Cup final. The last two ‘new’ manager nationalities in the showpiece have lost, with Germany’s Thomas Tuchel going down against Leicester in 2021, and Israel’s Avram Grant losing to Chelsea in 2010.
This will be Kevin de Bruyne’s fourth – and likely, final – FA Cup final appearance with Manchester City. He’s been involved in four goals in his previous three final matches, scoring one and assisting three.
Erling Haaland has failed to score in any of his five appearances for Manchester City at Wembley stadium, with three of those coming in the FA Cup. It’s the most games he’s played for the Citizens at a specific venue without finding the back of the net (followed by Anfield, 3).
Crystal Palace’s Eddie Nketiah has been involved in a goal in each of his last three FA Cup appearances (2 goals, 1 assist), all as a substitute. He’s also won the FA Cup once before, playing eight minutes from the bench in Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Chelsea in 2020.
Man City’s Nico O’Reilly has had a hand in five goals in this season’s FA Cup (3 goals, 2 assists) – only Josh Magennis (6) has had a hand in more in the competition proper this term.
Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze has been involved in four goals in his last four games in the FA Cup (3 goals, 1 assist), putting them 1-0 up in their semi-final win against Aston Villa. He hadn’t registered a single goal or assist in any of his first 14 appearances in the competition.