Sarr Double Sends Crystal Palace Soaring into FA Cup Final

Crystal Palace secured a dream FA Cup final appearance with a resounding 3-0 victory over Aston Villa at Wembley Stadium on Saturday. A stunning first-half strike from Eberechi Eze and a second-half brace from Ismaïla Sarr sealed a memorable day for Oliver Glasner’s side, who will now contest only their third FA Cup final in history.

The Palace supporters created a vibrant atmosphere behind the Aston Villa goal, and their early enthusiasm was rewarded in the 35th minute. After Villa’s Pau Torres was dispossessed by Sarr, the Senegalese forward teed up Eze, who curled a magnificent shot past Emiliano Martínez to give Palace the lead.

Aston Villa, missing the injured Marcus Rashford, struggled to impose themselves on the game. Their manager, Unai Emery, had recalled Ollie Watkins, Marco Asensio, and John McGinn to the starting lineup following their midweek defeat to Manchester City. However, they found Palace’s defense well-organized and difficult to break down.

Crystal Palace had a golden opportunity to double their advantage just before halftime, but Tyrick Mitchell failed to make proper contact with the ball after being picked out by Daniel Muñoz.

Villa showed more intent after the break, with McGinn forcing a good save from Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson. Henderson then produced an even better stop to deny Lucas Digne.

The game appeared to swing in Palace’s favor when they were awarded a penalty in the 68th minute after Boubacar Kamara brought down Eze in the box. However, Jean-Philippe Mateta’s spot-kick clipped the outside of the post and went wide, much to the relief of Martínez and the Villa supporters.

But Crystal Palace were not to be denied. Just minutes later, another Villa turnover allowed Adam Wharton to win back possession. Mateta then provided the assist for Sarr, who unleashed an unstoppable shot from outside the area to double Palace’s lead. The Senegal international was mobbed by his teammates as manager Oliver Glasner celebrated with the substitutes.

Despite Emery throwing on his substitutes, Villa struggled to create clear-cut chances. Leon Bailey came closest, but his shot was deflected over the bar. Sarr then capped off a perfect afternoon for Palace in stoppage time, finishing off a pass from Eddie Nketiah to make it 3-0.

This victory marks a significant moment for Crystal Palace, who last reached the FA Cup final in 2016. For Aston Villa and Unai Emery, it represents a disappointing end to their FA Cup campaign, having not progressed beyond the fourth round since reaching the final a decade ago. Their poor record at Wembley continued, with this being their seventh loss in their last nine visits.

Oliver Glasner now boasts an impressive record against Unai Emery, having won four of their five meetings in the past year. Crystal Palace will head into next month’s FA Cup final with immense confidence, believing they can compete with any opponent.