Crystal Palace 3-0 Aston Villa: What Were The Main Talking Points As The Eagles Punch Their FA Cup Final Spot At Wembley?

Putting in what was a famous performance at Wembley on Saturday evening, Crystal Palace booked their FA Cup final ticket as they claimed a 3-0 victory against Aston Villa.

In what will be remembered as one of the most famous days in their history, Oliver Glasner’s side opened the scoring just after the half hour mark as the red-hot Eberechi Eze produced a sublime effort from outside the box.

While attacking talisman Jean-Philippe Mateta might have blazed wide from the penalty spot early in the second-half, Palace doubled their lead just moments later as Ismaila Sarr’s driven strike found a way past Emiliano Martinez.

Although Villa might have huffed and puffed for large spells, there was no way past Dean Henderson and an inspired Palace defence in north London.

Palace wrapped things up in stoppage time as Sarr grabbed his second of the evening after cooly slotting home and send the Eagles to a first FA Cup final appearance for the first time since 2016.

With Nottingham Forest and Manchester City set to meet at Wembley in 24 hours time, Glasner will certainly be keeping close tabs.

On an afternoon when Palace moved within 90 minutes of claiming a maiden FA Cup crown, we have taken a look at the main talking points from Wembley.

Palace extend on their fairytale

Opening the 2024/25 campaign by failing to win any of their first eight consecutive Premier League appearances, there was plenty of speculation back in September that Glasner could be on his way out of Selhurst Park.

However, with the hierarchy in south London handing the former Eintracht Frankfurt boss their full support, Crystal Palace have embarked on a sensational rise.

Skyrocketing their way up the Premier League table and continuing to receive a string of plaudits, Saturday’s performance at Wembley almost epitomised the philosophy that Glasner has installed.

With any chance of a dramatic late European charge long since going up in smoke, it is no secret that the whole of Palace’s attention will be focused on their return to Wembley next month.

Now just 90 minutes away from securing an iconic first FA Cup crown, Glasner’s squad have continued to demonstrate that they are more than capable of causing all of England’s elite a host of problems.

A fortnight to forget for Villa

Suffering last-gasp heartbreak away at Manchester City earlier in the week as they eventually fell to a 2-1 loss at the Etihad, Aston Villa knew that they didn’t have any time to feel sorry for themselves.

Watching their iconic Champions League adventure come to an end on April 15th as they fell to a brave 5-4 aggregate defeat against French giants PSG, FA Cup success was Villa’s only chance to get their hands on a piece of silverware this season.

With Chelsea and Newcastle picking up their own respective victories on Saturday afternoon, Villa have seen their Champions League dreams take another blow alongside their Wembley heartbreak.

Hit with a 4-1 drumming when they travelled to Selhurst Park while in top-flight action on February 25th and now losing four of their previous five meetings against Palace, Emery must find a way to inspire an immediate response.

Falling to their knees at the full-time whistle and with Emery losing his battle of the dugouts against Glasner, Villa fans will be wondering how much of a lasting effect Saturday’s heartbreak could have going forward.

Eze dazzles at Wembley

While there might be continued speculation over Mateta’s future in south London, Palace’s number one priority this summer will certainly be on keeping hold of their playmaking talisman.

Since scoring on his full England debut against Latvia during March’s international break, Eze has enjoyed a remarkable run of form and has only further underlined his importance to Glasner’s side.

Opening the scoring at Wembley thanks to what was a sublime first-half effort, the former QPR starlet finds his stock at a red-hot high and is unsurprisingly linked with some of the Premier League’s biggest clubs.

Helping Palace book their ticket to Wembley after finding the net during Palace’s 3-0 romp away at Fulham on March 29th, Eze has produced seven direct goal contributions in his last nine appearances for club and country.

Forming what has become a dominant partnership with Mateta, the 26-year-old pulled the strings in north London and demonstrated why Thomas Tuchel holds him in high regard.

Match Report

Crystal Palace: Henderson, Richards, Lacroix, Guehi, Mitchell, Munoz, Wharton, Kamada, Sarr, Eze, Mateta

Subs: Lerma, Nketiah, Chilwell, Hughes

Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne, Tielemans, Kamara, Rogers, Asensio, McGinn, Watkins

Subs: Malen, Bailey, Maatsen, Barkley, Ramsey

Goals: Crystal Palace: Eze (31’), Sarr (58’, 90+4’)

Yellow Cards: Crystal Palace: Mitchell, Richards, Kamada – Aston Villa: Kamara

Red Cards: N/A

Referee: Chris Kavanagh