FA Cup Final 2025: Crystal Palace 1-0 Man City Winner Recap

Crystal Palace clinched their first major trophy in 120 years of club history, stunning Manchester City 1-0 in the 2025 FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium on 17 May 2025. Eberechi Eze’s 16th-minute strike proved decisive, while Dean Henderson’s penalty save from Omar Marmoush preserved the lead through 74 minutes of relentless City pressure.

Winner: Crystal Palace F.C. · Final Score: 1-0 · Opponent: Manchester City · Date: 17 May 2025 · Venue: Wembley Stadium · Goal Scorer: Eberechi Eze

Who won the FA Cup final in 2025?

Crystal Palace defeated Manchester City 1-0 at Wembley Stadium on 17 May 2025, claiming the 144th FA Cup Final in the competition’s history. Eberechi Eze struck the decisive goal in the 16th minute, finishing off a swift counter-attack to give Palace the lead against the run of play.

Match score

The final scoreline reads Crystal Palace 1, Manchester City 0. Palace’s defense, marshaled by Marc Guehi and Chris Richards, held firm through 74 minutes of City pressure after going ahead. Manchester City dominated possession throughout but failed to find a way past Dean Henderson in the Palace goal.

Key goal and scorer

Eberechi Eze scored the only goal of the match in the 16th minute, converting from close range after Palace broke quickly on the counter-attack. The goal came against the run of play, with City having controlled the opening exchanges. Eze’s strike proved the difference between the sides on a day when the underdogs defended superbly.

Historical significance for Crystal Palace

The victory marked Crystal Palace’s first major trophy in their 120-year club history. While Palace had previously won the 1991 Full Members’ Cup, that competition is now defunct, leaving the 2025 FA Cup as their inaugural piece of silverware at this level. The Eagles had reached two previous FA Cup semi-finals but never progressed to the final until now.

Who will Crystal Palace play in the cup final?

Crystal Palace faced Manchester City in the 2025 FA Cup Final. City had reached their third consecutive final, having won the competition in both 2023 and 2024 before suffering this defeat. Pep Guardiola’s side came into the match as heavy favorites, having also reached the Champions League final earlier in 2025.

Team lineups

Palace’s starting eleven included Dean Henderson in goal, with Marc Guehi, Trevoh Chalobah, Chris Richards, and Tyrick Mitchell forming the back four. The midfield featured Cheick Doukouré, Will Hughes, and Eberechi Eze, with Ismaïla Sarr and Jean-Philippe Mateta leading the line. City named a strong lineup featuring Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne, though they were unable to break through Palace’s determined rearguard action.

Pre-match team news

Neither side reported significant injury concerns heading into the final. Palace’s confidence had grown after dispatching Aston Villa 3-0 in the semi-final with a brace from Sarr and a goal from Eze. City had navigated past Nottingham Forest in their semi, setting up what many expected to be a straightforward afternoon for the three-time consecutive finalists.

FA Cup final 2025 teams

The two sides represented the contrast in English football’s hierarchy: City’s recent dominance against a club seeking their first major honour in over a century. The 84,163 crowd at Wembley witnessed what many are already calling one of the great cup final upsets, with Palace’s well-organized defensive structure frustrating Guardiola’s attacking talent throughout.

What date will the FA Cup final be?

The 2025 FA Cup Final took place on Saturday, 17 May 2025, at Wembley Stadium in London. The match kicked off at 11:30 AM local time, earlier than the traditional 3 PM slot often seen in later finals.

Kick-off time

The match began at 11:30 AM local time (10:30 AM GMT), with ESPN confirming the early start time. This slot was chosen to accommodate broadcast schedules and avoid conflicts with other major sporting events scheduled for the afternoon.

Why the early date

The 2025 final arrived before the conclusion of the Premier League season, a scheduling decision that drew criticism from some quarters who argued it undermined the domestic league’s primacy. The early date was confirmed by the Football Association as part of their broadcast agreement obligations, ensuring the cup final concluded before competing with league run-ins for viewer attention.

Schedule context

This marked the earliest FA Cup Final date in recent memory, occurring while several Premier League clubs still had league fixtures remaining. The decision prioritized the FA’s broadcast revenue arrangements over traditional calendar conventions that typically placed the final after league seasons concluded.

What time is the FA Cup final kick off?

Kick-off was confirmed at 11:30 AM local time at Wembley Stadium, with the match shown live on ESPN+ in the United States and BBC/ITV in the United Kingdom. The early start time reflected the broadcaster’s need to maximize afternoon advertising windows for the post-match programming.

Exact KO time

Official match records from ESPN confirmed the 11:30 AM kick-off, with the match running approximately two hours including stoppage time. The early afternoon start meant the trophy presentation could begin before 2 PM, allowing for extensive post-match analysis programming.

Broadcast details

Coverage extended across multiple platforms, with ESPN+ providing streaming options alongside traditional television broadcasts. The match’s global reach was ensured through numerous international rights holders, with the result generating significant post-match coverage across sports networks worldwide.

Venue specifics

Wembley Stadium in London, England, served as the venue for the 144th FA Cup Final. The national stadium’s 90,000 capacity was filled to 84,163, with the remainder representing the typical no-show rate for such events. The stadium’s modern facilities and central London location made it the natural choice for English football’s showpiece occasion.

How much money do FA Cup winners get?

FA Cup winners receive a prize package that includes the trophy, a substantial cash prize, and crucially, qualification for the following season’s Europa League. While exact figures vary by season based on broadcast deals, Palace’s victory ensures they will collect significantly more than the runners-up payout.

Prize money amount

The exact prize money breakdown for the 2025 competition was set by the Football Association before the season began, with winners receiving the largest single payment in the competition’s history. Combined with the Europa League qualification bonus that accompanies the trophy, Palace’s financial extends well beyond the immediate cash prize.

European qualification

As FA Cup winners, Crystal Palace automatically qualified for the 2025-26 Europa League. This marks a significant achievement for a club that has never competed in European competition at this level, opening pathways for player recruitment, commercial growth, and the prestige that accompanies continental football participation.

Crystal Palace history

Before this victory, Palace’s trophy cabinet contained only the 1991 Full Members’ Cup, a competition that ceased to exist and is not counted among major honours. The Eagles’ two previous FA Cup semi-final appearances in 1990 and 2016 had ended in defeat, making Saturday’s triumph an achievement decades in the making for the South London club and its supporters.

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Eberechi Eze’s decisive goal delivered Crystal Palace’s first major trophy, mirroring the thrilling details in the FA Cup Final coverage from that Wembley showdown.

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