It was third time lucky for Crystal Palace in the FA Cup as they defeated Manchester City, 1-0, in the final of this year's competition. The Eagles had made it to the final in 1990 and 2016, but 2025 will be the famous year for the supporters of the South London side.
Crystal Palace–Manchester City FA Cup player ratings
Below, we're rating the Crystal Palace players on a scale of 1 to 10.
Goalkeeper and defenders
Dean Henderson (GK): 8
Henderson was lucky not to have been sent off after handling the ball outside his area in a controversial moment. However, the goalkeeper made great saves to deny Erling Haaland and Josko Gvardiol. Henderson then denied Omar Marmoush from the penalty spot and held Haaland's effort from the rebound. The keeper then made a fantastic save from Jeremy Doku's effort. Henderson then made a great stop from debutant Claudio Echeverri's strike.
Marc Guéhi (CB): 7
Guéhi performed well in front of England manager Thomas Tuchel. The defender was crucial in keeping Haaland quiet. However, due to injury, Jefferson Lerma replaced Guéhi in the 61st minute.
Chris Richards (CB): 7
Richards was a threat with his long throws. He and Matt Turner became the third and fourth Americans to win the FA Cup after Tim Howard and Julian Sturgis.
Maxence Lacroix (CB): 7
City dominated the game, but Lacroix, along with Guéhi, Richards and then Lerma, made sure that Pep Guardiola's side did not manage anything decisive.
Midfielders
Daniel Muñoz (RM): 8
Muñoz set up Eberechi Eze's goal with a fantastic cross. His one-on-one defending against Doku could have been better. Muñoz also had the ball in the net, but his goal was ruled out for offside.
Adam Wharton (CM): 7
Wharton passed the ball about very well. However, he had to come off after being hit on the back of the head by Kevin De Bruyne's strike. Will Hughes came on for the midfielder.
Daichi Kamada (CM): 6
Kamada had to do his fair share of defensive work as City had 78% of possession.
Tyrick Mitchell (LM): 5
Mitchell did give away a penalty for a foul on Bernardo Silva. However, fortunately, Henderson saved Marmoush's effort from the spot.
Forwards
Eberechi Eze (CAM): 8
Eze is known for being a talented chess player, and he delivered a calculated finish to win the game for Palace. There is much talk of his struggles in becoming a professional soccer player, as he suffered being released and failed trials. However, he has proved doubters wrong. Tuchel, who was watching from the stands, would have taken note of Eze's ability to perform at crucial moments.
Ismaïla Sarr (CAM): 6
Unfortunately, it was Sarr being offside that led to Muñoz's goal being ruled out.
Jean-Philippe Mateta (CF): 7
Mateta is still wearing his protective headgear as a result of Millwall's Liam Roberts' challenge. However, the Palace forward held the ball up well and brought his teammates into play. He was involved in the build-up to Eze's goal. Eddie Nketiah came on for Mateta in the 78th minute.
Substitues
- Jefferson Lerma, 7/10
- Eddie Nketiah, N/A
- Will Hughes, N/A