In a thrilling final on Saturday, City contrived to waste a sizable number of chances, including a penalty, and local man Eze volleyed in after 16 minutes. Former Manchester United goalkeeper Dean Henderson heroicized in the Palace goal.
After England’s Eze scored a third-time winner against the run of play with his goals in the final eight and semis, Palace had to survive a City siege that sparked outcry.
As City lost in the Cup final for a second consecutive season to Omar Marmoush, Henderson saved a penalty that set them up as the dominant English football team, ending a harrowing campaign that saw them relegated to the bottom of the standings for the first time since 2016-17.
It was a day of unbridled joy for Palace’s crowded ranks, which were decked out in purple and blue as Oliver Glasner’s team fought their luck to reach the FA Cup final third time after losing in their previous two FA Cup final appearances in 1990 and 2016.
Glasner becomes the first Austrian coach to win the FA Cup since taking over the organization 15 months ago.
City have been a shadowy rehash of the English team that has dominated the last ten years.
However, the way they got to Wembley suggested Pep Guardiola’s side were determined to disprove the claims made about their demise.
City hacked Palace deep inside their own half for the first 15 minutes with Kevin De Bruyne pulling the strings on what was his final Wembley appearance in City’s colors after selecting an ultra-attacking lineup without defensive midfielders.
Erling Haaland was sent off with his lofted ball, but Henderson brilliantly saved it with a stretching effort that Henderson had just before equalized Josko Gvardiol’s header.
In their first foray outside the center circle, Palace ripped through City’s lines before finally breaking the siege.
Daniel Munoz was paired up with Jean-Philippe Mateta, and Eze fired a first-time volley past Stefan Ortega, making Palace fans scream.
When Henderson appeared to have handled the ball outside his area while under the pressure of Haaland, but a subsequent VAR check saved him a potential red card, Ortega saved, and Palace’s hearts were in their mouths.
When Bernardo Silva was tripped by Palace defender Tyrick Mitchell, who was then referred to the spot by referee Stuart Attwell, there was no escape for him. Surprisedly, Henderson did not accept it, and Henderson instead stepped forward for his first penalty since joining City in January. However, Henderson did not have the conviction to succeed.
Despite only having 19% of possession, Henderson made a flying save to prevent Jeremy Doku’s curling effort.
After the hour mark, Munoz believed he had already made it 2-0, but a lengthy VAR check determined his effort was offside.
City, who had won seven consecutive games after the break, performed heroics on top to keep Palace in the lead.
Source: Aljazeera
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