It was a pinch me moment for the Crystal Palace supporters who had made it a sea of red and blue in the stand behind Emiliano Martínez’s goal. A few minutes earlier, the Aston Villa goalkeeper had been pumping his fists in delight after Jean-Philippe Mateta’s penalty miss appeared to have kept his side in the game.
Yet already leading through Eberechi Eze’s stunning goal in the first half, Palace were not to be denied. Ismaïla Sarr thumped the ball past Martínez from distance after another cheap Villa turnover and the Senegal forward was mobbed by his teammates as Oliver Glasner led a group hug with the substitutes on the bench.
Written by Ed Aarons at Wembley
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/apr/26/crystal-palace-aston-villa-fa-cup-semi-final-match-report under the title “Sarr’s sizzlers send Crystal Palace soaring into FA Cup final dreamland”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
