Two pieces of history were made in the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium on May 17, 2025, where Crystal Palace triumphed over Manchester City by the slimmest of margins— one a cause for celebration, the other a moment of reflection.
The bad news
For the first time since his debut season with Manchester City, Pep Guardiola will finish a full campaign without a single trophy. The only other time Guardiola ended a season empty-handed was in 2016/17, his first year in charge at the Etihad. Even then, the Spaniard managed to reach the FA Cup semi-finals, where his side was ultimately eliminated by Arsenal. The 2024/25 season now joins 2016/17 as only the second time in Guardiola’s managerial career that he has failed to win any silverware.
Despite this setback, Guardiola still boasts two FA Cup titles, having lifted the trophy in the 2018/19 and 2022/23 seasons.
The good news
After 119 years since its founding, Crystal Palace have finally secured their first major football trophy—winning none other than the world’s oldest football competition, the FA Cup.
Eberechi Eze’s 16th-minute tap-in, following a superb low cross from the right flank, will be remembered as the historic goal that broke the jinx and brought the Eagles their long-awaited glory.
As a result, Crystal Palace have qualified for the 2025–26 UEFA Europa League group stage and earned the right to face the 2024–25 Premier League champions, Liverpool, in the 2025 FA Community Shield—another opportunity to claim bragging rights.
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Story by: Gabriel Tecco Mensah | univers.ug.edu.gh
Edited by: Asack Pius
