It wasn’t just Crystal Palace’s day at Wembley — it was English football’s.
When Joel Ward lifted the FA Cup high into the north London sky, it wasn’t just the climax of a club’s 120-year wait for major silverware. It was a seismic moment that shook the foundations of a sport too often suffocated by the same elite names. Manchester City were beaten. Not by another member of the so-called ‘big six’, but by a side historically cast as plucky outsiders. In doing so, Palace gave the game back to the people.
This was no fluke. It was a masterclass in tactical discipline, belief and resilience. A glorious reminder that football is not meant to be preordained. It’s meant to be unpredictable.
A Year for the Underdogs
2025 is fast becoming the year English football remembered its heart. Earlier this season, Newcastle United finally ended their 69-year domestic trophy drought with a Carabao Cup triumph over Liverpool. That alone was emotional. But Newcastle’s resurgence came with the financial might of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. Crystal Palace’s rise, by contrast, feels gloriously authentic.
There is no sovereign wealth fund behind Selhurst Park. No £100 million player waiting on the bench. Instead, this is a club that hired smartly, trusted youth, and backed a coach in Oliver Glasner who has now led two unfancied clubs to major European honours in three seasons.
The Austrian spoke eloquently post-match, reminding everyone that football’s greatest gift is not the trophy, but the memories. “We give them hours and days when they forget all of this; just be feeling happy and celebrating.” It was more than sentiment. It was the soul of the sport.
Glasner’s Grit and Palace’s Patience
Palace didn’t merely scrape past City — they beat them with bravery and structure. Eberechi Eze’s goal may have grabbed the headlines, but the spine of the team told the story. Dean Henderson’s save from the spot. Daniel Munoz’s tireless engine. The composed wall of Chris Richards, Maxence Lacroix and Marc Guehi.
This was a team constructed with purpose. Players like Adam Wharton — likely out of reach in previous financial cycles — now find themselves thriving in red and blue, not picked off by the usual elite. That, in part, is thanks to the tightening grip of the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules. They’ve been criticised, but in moments like this, they feel like a necessary reset.
Hope Across the League
Palace’s victory offers more than joy to their own supporters — it offers hope to fans across the country. It suggests the monopolies of the recent past may be cracking. It challenges the belief that only superclubs can dream. In fact, it throws the very idea of a ‘big six’ into question.
Manchester United and Tottenham have floundered. Arsenal’s title push faltered. Chelsea remain in flux. Only Liverpool maintained consistency, and even they lost out on the domestic cups. Meanwhile, Villa reached the Champions League quarter-finals, and Forest are headed to Europe. The middle tier — so long starved of meaningful moments — is stirring.
We’ve seen this once before, of course. Leicester’s fairy-tale title in 2016 briefly promised a new dawn before the giants regrouped and reasserted their power. But this time feels different. It’s not just one team punching up — it’s several.
More Than Just a Trophy
For Palace fans, this is an FA Cup story they’ll pass down through generations. The win over City. The 10 minutes of stoppage time. The tears on the Tube back from Wembley Park. But for the rest of us, it’s something else: it’s proof that football hasn’t lost its magic.
When Alan Shearer calls it the year of the underdog, you listen. When Glasner talks about ‘moments for their lives’, you remember why you fell in love with the game in the first place. And when Crystal Palace — a team built on graft, unity and faith — lift the FA Cup, you realise the game might still be alive and well after all.
Conclusion
This wasn’t just a win for Crystal Palace — it was a win for every club that dares to dream. In an age where financial disparity often dictates destiny, Palace proved that spirit, strategy and belief still matter. This could be the spark that reignites the competitiveness English football once thrived on. Long may it continue. The game is better when more than six clubs believe they belong at the top.
