Eze and Sarr Fire Crystal Palace Into First FA Cup Final in Nine Years

Crystal Palace stormed into their first FA Cup Final in nearly a decade with an emphatic 3–0 win over Aston Villa at Wembley Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Goals from Eberechi Eze and Ismaila Sarr sealed a memorable semi-final triumph, sending the South London club into their third-ever final in the competition’s history.

Eze opened the scoring on 30 minutes with a magnificent curling strike from just outside the penalty area, setting the tone for a dominant Palace performance.

Just before the hour mark, Sarr doubled the lead with a powerful low drive—moments after Jean-Philippe Mateta had missed a penalty that might have dented the Eagles’ momentum.

Villa Fall Short Despite Spirited Effort

Despite falling two goals behind, Villa battled hard in search of a response. However, they struggled to break through a resilient Palace defence.

Goalkeeper Dean Henderson stood firm, making several crucial saves to preserve the clean sheet.

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In stoppage time, Sarr put the result beyond doubt. He broke free on the counter-attack and calmly slotted in his second of the match, confirming Palace’s place in next month’s final.

A Historic Moment For The Eagles

This will mark only the third time Crystal Palace have reached the FA Cup Final, having previously appeared in 1990 and 2016—both ending in defeat to Manchester United.

Now, just one win separates the club from claiming their first major trophy in their 120-year history.

Palace will face the winner of Sunday’s semi-final between Manchester City and Nottingham Forest.

Villa’s Wait For Silverware Continues

Aston Villa, seven-time FA Cup winners, last lifted the trophy in 1957.

Their 68-year drought will now continue, and their hopes of securing European football rest solely on their Premier League campaign.

Eze: “We’re 100% Confident”

Speaking after the match, man-of-the-match Eberechi Eze expressed his confidence in Palace’s chances heading into the final.

“It’s a special day,” Eze told BBC Sport. “I’m grateful to God for the opportunity to play here, to win, and to go to the final. We want to go all the way and we believe we can do it.”

“We’re 100% confident of winning the trophy. We’ve shown this level of performance time and time again. We’re not fearful of facing anyone. I trust the team, and hopefully we can finish the job.”