Crystal Palace produced a sensational performance at Wembley, beating Aston Villa 3-0 to reach the FA Cup final for only the third time in their history. Ismaila Sarr’s brace and Eberechi Eze’s opener were enough to end Villa’s title hopes this season, extending their unbeaten run in head-to-head matches to five.
First half – Palace take the lead
After a slow and uneventful start to the match, dominated by yellow cards, it was Palace who finally found their rhythm. After surviving a scare when Morgan Rogers narrowly missed the target from a playful cross from Lucas Digne, the Eagles took control. Despite Jean-Philippe Mateta’s disallowed foul on Ezri Konsa, victory came quickly.
Ismaila Sarr set up Eberechi Eze, who struck a superb low shot from the edge of the box to give Palace the lead.
Tyrick Mitchell missed a golden opportunity to double the lead before the break, missing a close-range shot after another Sarr delivery, but Palace nevertheless went into half-time with a deserved advantage.
Second half – Palace Power to victory
Villa received a huge respite early in the second half when Mateta hit the post from the penalty spot following Boubacar Kamara’s foul on Eze. However, Palace’s dominance eventually made it 2-0, with Sarr capitalising on Adam Wharton’s relentless pressure to send a long-range shot past Emiliano Martínez and make it 2-0.
Despite Villa’s late pressure to come back, Palace were comfortable and could have sealed the win earlier when Sarr headed wide from close range. The Senegalese striker finally sealed the score in stoppage time, finishing off a devastating counterattack with a powerful third goal.
What this means
With this resounding victory, Crystal Palace qualified for the 2025 FA Cup Final, where they will face either Nottingham Forest or Manchester City. Meanwhile, Aston Villa must focus on a top-five finish in the Premier League and a return to the UEFA Champions League next season.
Key facts
- Crystal Palace have reached the FA Cup final for the third time in their history (the previous ones were in 1990 and 2016).
- Ismaïla Sarr has now scored five goals in his last seven appearances in all competitions.
- Aston Villa have suffered a third defeat in their last six games in all competitions, slowing their momentum ahead of the Premier League race.
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