Crystal Palace were not to be denied as the kryptonite of Aston Villa with the help of three inspired performances in a repeat of the Carabao Cup final…
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The euphoric scenes at each end of a packed Wembley delivered an idyllic advert how special the FA Cup remains for sides who still actually give a sh*t about the historic competition as they cry out for silverware.
Seven-time winners Aston Villa have not won the competition since 1957, while Crystal Palace have never lifted the FA Cup.
The buoyant atmosphere, which Palace supporters carried, made the importance of this semi-final tie clear, while a nervy opening half an hour with minimal action added to the tension and also bored neutrals to tears.
Between them, Palace and Villa have plenty of quality in attack with players capable of moments of individual brilliance, but they were all quiet until Oliver Glasner’s front three took the semi-final by the horns.
Mere moments after Jean Philippe-Mateta was unfortunate to have a goal disallowed for slight contact on Ezri Konsa, Palace’s frustration evaporated as Eberechi Eze scored a stunning opener in the 31st minute.
Eze is a supremely talented footballer who was guilty of going missing earlier this season, but he is enjoying a sensational end to this campaign, especially in the FA Cup.
The England international showed exactly why Man Utd should sign him with his match-winning display in the quarter-final against Fulham. Then at Wembley, he scored another special goal from distance via a superb curled strike from the edge of the area, which found the roof of the net past Emiliano Martinez.
Eze got a brilliant connection on his shot and it may have caught Martinez off guard, but the Aston Villa goalkeeper should be disappointed that he didn’t get a hand on it.
This was the nightmare scenario for the Villans as Palace have won ten of their 15 Premier League games when scoring first this season.Â
Before Eze’s goal, this semi-final threatened to become an extremely tepid affair, but the deadlock being broken was exactly what the contest needed, and the remainder of the game was much more lively.
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Villa dominated possession without threatening in attack during the opening stages, but they did respond to Eze’s opener and came close to levelling the game via a header from Konsa before half-time. After all, they are third in our Premier League table based on points gained from losing positions.Â
Emery’s side also made a lively start to the second period, with John McGinn and Lucas Digne forcing saves from Dean Henderson.
Glasner’s well-drilled team has been one of the Premier League’s most solid defensive outfits this season, and if they could hold Villa at bay, there was always the threat of the leaders picking off their opponents on the counter-attack.
This proved the case as not even Mateta’s missed penalty could deny Palace, who doubled their lead with a ruthless move with half an hour to go.
Adam Wharton’s pressure made Youri Tielemans surrender possession, and within a flash, Sarr was fed the ball and he clinically drilled the ball into the bottom corner from outside the area with emphatic precision.
Mateta and Eze get most of the headlines from Palace’s respective and as good as they were against Aston Villa, Sarr was the clear player of the match with an inspired performance. He put the cherry on top of the cake with his second and his side’s third goal in stoppage time, which was all that he and the FA Cup finalists deserved.
Palace were better than Villa in all departments in a game that had all the hallmarks of Newcastle United’s Carabao Cup final victory against Liverpool; the underdogs rightfully triumphed through displaying more desire and quality on the day.
Villa had no answer for Palace’s forwards in a one-sided battle between the attacking departments. Ollie Watkins will be even more “fuming” after failing to take his chance in the absence of an injured Marcus Rashford, having been bossed by signing of the season contender Maxence Lacroix.
Even with this defeat, this remains a positive season for Aston Villa, but they were outfought and outwitted against a side who have played ten fewer games this season.
It’s also clear that Palace are Villa’s kryptonite, with this 3-0 extending Glasner’s unbeaten run against the Villans to five matches.
Just as Newcastle were a team possessed in the Carabao Cup, Palace are performing in a similarly bullish manner in the FA Cup. They will take some stopping when Manchester City or Nottingham Forest face them in the final.
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