Crystal Palace will face Manchester United in their first FA Cup final for 26 years after Connor Wickham sealed a 2-1 win over Watford at Wembley on Sunday. Alan Pardew's side swept into an early lead in the semi-final through Congo forward Yannick Bolasie before Watford's Troy Deeney equalised soon after the interval.
Palace were the better team for long periods and Wickham settled it midway through the second half to give his club a chance to avenge their 1990 FA Cup final loss against United, who are looking to win the competition for the first time since 2004 after beating Everton on Saturday.
It was an especially sweet moment for Palace boss Pardew, who was a member of the Eagles team beaten by Alex Ferguson's United in 1990 when Lee Martin scored the replay winner after the first match ended in a 3-3 draw.
Pardew has proved something of a good luck charm for Palace in the FA Cup and he celebrated taking the club to only their second final in the competition 26 years after scoring the winner against Liverpool the last time the south Londoners won a semi-final. Watford's failure to reach their first FA Cup final for 32 years will increase speculation about the future of manager Quique Sanchez Flores after reports the Hornets' poor form in 2016 could lead to his sacking after one season in charge.
After a superb first half of the season, Palace had plunged dramatically in 2016, with only one win from their last 18 league games. But despite their struggles, Pardew's men were enjoying their best Cup run for over two decades and they took just six minutes to seize the initiative.
Yohan Cabaye whipped a corner towards the near post where Damien Delaney flicked a back header towards the far post for the unmarked Bolasie to head home from virtually on the line.
Bolasie's sixth goal of the season was an emotional moment for the forward, who hadn't forgotten the frustration he felt in 2013 when he was an unused substitute during Palace's Championship play-off final win over Watford at Wembley.
Comments
Comments are closed.