Crystal Palace beat Man City in the FA Cup final at Wembley with a minimal score. The London win came after a familiar scenario in mid-level games against City.
Pep Guardiola's team still completely controlled the game, dominating all indicators but in the end did not score any goals. Palace also almost beat City in their most recent Premier League match, having led 2-0 at the Etihad.
This season's FA Cup title has a lot of meaning for Crystal Palace. For the first time in the Premier League era, they have appeared in the European Cup. Looking at the big picture, after more than 30 years Palace have just returned to the continental playground. In the Premier League, they are currently 12th after 36 rounds. Dean Henderson and his teammates have done things that the likes of Brighton and Brentford cannot do.
The ticket to the European Cup next season is like a magnet to help the London team retain the pillars. The Europa League may not be as prestigious as the Champions League, but at least it still has enough weight for the club's stars to consider staying before the pulling of big teams.
Remember Michael Olise, a talented player at Selhurts Park who could not resist the invitation from Bayern Munich. Palace were then just a weak average in the Premier League, so they were not good enough to keep Olise. Now, with a Europa League ticket and the atmosphere after the FA Cup championship, many stars may choose to stay for at least another season. Names like Eberechi Eze, Dean Henderson or Jean- Philippe Mateta are being targeted by many big teams. If they don't have an FA Cup title, they could very well say goodbye to the Crystal Palace after this season.
In the opposite direction, after holding the pillars, Palace can recruit a few new stars to continue to keep the competition next season. The silver trophy at Wembley will help Palace stand in the ranks of the teams with the oldest playground in the UK. Maybe in the Premier League they do not have enough power to compete but with League Cup or FA Cup, the motivation will always be after this history.
In the FA Cup, the surprises made the brand of this tournament. The powerful Man City have reached the final 3 times in a row but lost 2 times to teams that are rated lower (last season was Man United). Oliver Glasner's team has brought great spiritual support to other teams, ready to create turning points to bring glory.
After Newcastle in the League Cup and Crystal Palace in the FA Cup this season, the two domestic cup arenas of the foggy country are expected to be more attractive in the coming years. Fans will benefit from witnessing the increasing attraction of tournaments, while small teams are now confident to compete, no longer at a disadvantage as before.
