Crystal Palace won their first major trophy by beating Manchester City 1–0 in the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium.

The Eagles were massive underdogs coming into the game. Initially, they showed City much respect, handing Pep Guardiola’s side lots of possession in the opening stages and looking to punish it on the counter.

Crystal Palace took the lead in the 16th minute when Daniel Muñoz raced down the right wing and crossed for Eberechi Eze, who volleyed it past Stefan Ortega.

The drama intensified just 10 minutes later when City appealed for a red card against Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson for handball outside the box to stop Erling Haaland.

VAR reviewed the incident and controversially determined that Haaland’s run did not constitute an obvious goalscoring opportunity. No punishment was given, a decision that gained more importance when Henderson faced a penalty from Omar Marmoush shortly after.

Henderson made a crucial save to deny Marmoush, leaving City furious that the Palace keeper was even on the pitch.

Palace had to rely on luck at times and thought they scored again early in the second half when Muñoz tapped in from close range. However, VAR disallowed the goal due to an earlier offside by Ismaïla Sarr.

Tensions rose as City grew frustrated. Claudio Echeverri missed a chance to equalize while Chris Richards continued to thwart their attempts.

Palace withstood ten minutes of stoppage time, defending fiercely as Kevin De Bruyne’s volley went wide and they survived a handball scare. They secured a monumental victory in club history.

For Crystal Palace, it is their first major trophy in club history, but the victory also means Oliver Glasner’s side will play Europa League football next season.