Ed Aarons was at Wembley. His report is in, and here it is! Congratulations to Crystal Palace, commiserations to Aston Villa, and thank you for reading this MBM.
An extremely gracious Unai Emery talks to the BBC. “They deserved to win … they played better than us … we tried to compete, dominate and impose … but when they scored the first goal it caused difficulties for us … we only reacted when it was 2-0 … we dominated better and created chances but didn’t score a goal … in transition they are a very good team … they scored a third goal and they deserved to win … in 90 minutes we had our moments … but I accept it … we were very motivated for this semi-final but we lost and we will keep going … two years ago when I arrived here we were in a bad moment … how we are increasing our level is going so, so quick … semi-final of Conference League … quarter-final of Champions League … semi-final of FA Cup … everything we are doing is increasing our demands … loss is something you have to accept … of course we are sorry for our supporters … thank you to our supporters for how they support us … congratulations to Crystal Palace … we keep going.”
Oliver Glasner speaks to the BBC. “All the credit to the players … they have to work so hard … overcame a few difficult moments … especially when we missed the penalty … Dean [Henderson] made one or two great saves … our second goal gave us more control … an unbelievable performance … we never lost our heads … so well done … the first goal was winning the ball … the second and third goals were an unbelievable counter-press … the players did excellent … such great characters … always believed in us … always working hard.”
He’s then shown footage of his celebration for the third goal, which saw him racing halfway down the touchline waving his arms around in the carefree style, and threatening to break into a full Jose-Mourinho-at-Old-Trafford-style sprint, before thinking better of it and turning back, palms down apologetically to the fourth official! “I did this when we scored the equaliser in the 94th minute against Newcastle, I sprinted to the corner and celebrated, and conceded a yellow card. I was worried about a red card and I might miss the final! So I said OK, stop, stop!”
A sporting response from Aston Villa captain John McGinn, talking to the BBC. “Obviously a massive disappointment … the manager just spoke at length to remind us how far we’ve come as a team and a group … that’s not to get away from the disappointment … the club hasn’t experienced a trophy for a long time … we’ll use the hurt to come back next season … the overriding feeling is of hurt and disappointment … we’ll try to get back to the Champions League … we can’t sulk … we’re as disappointed as every supporter … we weren’t at our best, that’s clear … I don’t think anyone can watch the game and say Palace didn’t deserve to win … they had weapons to hurt us and our weapons weren’t as powerful … we’ve had a lot of praise in the last couple of seasons and deservedly so … now we’ll get criticism … we’ll take it on the chin … we’re building something special … the managers, staff and owners … we’ll be back … obviously it stings … some days football comes and punches you in the face and today’s one of those days.”
Eberechi Eze, the player of the match, speaks to the BBC. “It’s special … a special day … grateful to God for the opportunity to play here and to win … to go to the final… we want to go all the way and win … I saw the opportunity to shoot … I’m always trying my luck … always taking shots … we work on this type of stuff … I’m grateful to God that I’ve scored today and helped the team … Ismaila Sarr is top … I probably got this [the player-of-the-match award] a bit prematurely! … so I’ll be giving it to him inside! … he’s a top player and has helped us so much this season … I’m grateful to him too … we’ve proved we’re not fearful of facing anyone … we will put the work in to prepare … hopefully we can go on and do it!”
What lovely words from a man in a state of mellow bliss. And such generosity of spirit towards his team-mate Ismaila Sarr, who as Alan Shearer on the BBC stated earlier, ran him close for the player-of-the-match award. Crystal Palace are a team all right. A delightful interview.
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This scoreline doesn’t flatter Crystal Palace at all. They’ve scored three magnificent goals. They had another disallowed for a very soft foul. They missed a penalty. They were utterly, completely, exquisitely dominant. Aston Villa didn’t show up … but then how much of that is down to Palace simply refusing to let them play? All three goals were the result of Villa’s inability to deal with Palace’s relentless press … and when they coughed up possession, Palace pounced both ruthlessly and stylishly. If they put on another show like this in the final, Manchester City or Nottingham Forest will have their work cut out to stop them winning their first-ever FA Cup! But now let them enjoy the moment. They deserve this.
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FULL TIME: Crystal Palace 3-0 Aston Villa
Crystal Palace are worthy winners, and will play either Manchester City or Nottingham Forest in next month’s FA Cup final. To mix and match some classic pop, Oliver’s Army are Glad All Over!
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90 min +6: Another Villa corner comes to nothing. You can’t fault their efforts – they’ve attacked all afternoon – but Palace have held firm and there’s been no way through. Villa have been second best. Palace completely on top!
90 min +5: Oliver Glasner by contrast is a picture of delight, as he nips up and down the touchline waving his arms in celebration! Palace are heading for their third FA Cup final, and they thoroughly deserve it!
GOAL! Crystal Palace 3-0 Aston Villa (Sarr 90+4)
… and Unai Emery is certainly looking on grimly now! Nketiah robs Tielemans with ease and slips the ball down the middle for Sarr, who tears clear of Konsa before lashing an unstoppable shot into the bottom right. Palace are in the final!
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90 min +3: Villa probe this way and that, but Palace hold their shape, and eventually Barkley runs the ball out for a throw. Unai Emery looks on grimly.
90 min +1: Maatsen and Bailey buzz down the right. Richards shanks a clearance to Malen, who returns the favour by slicing a shot out for a throw on the right. All very scrappy now, like either team – for wildly differing reasons – will care.
90 min: Barkley and Bailey try to exchange passes in the Palace box, but there are too many other folk swarming around, and eventually the ball squeaks through to Henderson. Palace are nearly there … though there will be seven bonus minutes. Can Villa find the goals that would force extra time?
89 min: Palace replace Eze, who has been named player of the match, and Wharton, who will have run him close for that award, with Lerma and Hughes. Palace looking to lock this result down. Their fans en fête.
88 min: Torres attempts to release Malen down the left but whistles a wild pass out for a goal kick. Henderson again takes his time over the restart, the prerogative of a goalkeeper whose team are two goals up with the clock running out.
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86 min: Cash advances down the inside-right channel and enters the box, before hitting a low swerving shot-cum-cross through a busy box and out for a goal kick. Any touch and that could easily have flown into the net. Cash puts his head in his hands.
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85 min: Malen swings the free kick in from the left. Sarr eyebrows it clear. Bailey returns it from the right. At the far post, Barkley attempts to force the ball goalwards from a tight angle, but can only flap the side netting.
84 min: Kamada clatters into Tielemans out on the left touchline. Late and unnecessary. He goes into the book. A free kick and a chance for Villa to line up on the edge of the Palace box.
83 min: Chilwell comes on for Mitchell.
82 min: This is glorious end-to-end fun. Now Nketiah powers a shot in from the left, the ball bagatelling it’s way through Konsa into the hands of Martinez.
81 min: … and it could have instantly been 2-1, with Maatsen crossing low from the left for Watkins, only for Lacroix to arrive just in time to deflect out for a corner, from which nothing comes! Villa are giving it a good go now.
80 min: Kamada sashays down the left and crosses for Sarr, who heads across Martinez from six yards and wide left. It should have been three!
79 min: Mateta might have missed a penalty, but otherwise he’s been magnificent. He gets the ovation his efforts deserve as he’s replaced by Nketiah. Meanwhile it’s not been a beautiful day in the north-London neighbourhood for Mr Rogers, and he makes way for Malen.
78 min: … though they’re relentlessly pouring forward. Bailey, who has looked lively since coming on, shoots from a tight angle on the right. Henderson parries and the ball’s hoicked clear.
77 min: Ramsey probes down the left but his low cross-cum-shot is deflected harmlessly into the arms of Henderson. A sense of desperation emanating from Villa now.
75 min: Bailey twists his way down the right and cuts back for Barkley, who prepares to shoot only to be startled by Mateta, tracking back and slide-tackling clear. That had to be perfectly timed or it would have been a penalty. What a response he’s given to missing his own spot kick. He’s never stopped running and working for his team.
74 min: Bailey wins a corner down the right but nothing comes of it. Henderson has had very little to do since that quick-fire pair of saves early in the second half.
73 min: Munoz crosses from the right. Konsa intercepts with his shoulder. Palace make a weak claim for a penalty, but you can tell the heart’s not in it. We play on.
72 min: Wharton starts another attack, finding Mateta down the right. Mateta flicks on for Sarr, whose low cross evades Eze in the middle. Mateta then chases down Konsa by the left-hand corner flag. He blocks a clearance, which he then celebrates as much as he would a goal. Well, nearly. His fans cheer wildly. Palace well on top.
70 min: Another double change by Villa, for whom the clock is suddenly not a friend. Asensio and Kamara make way for Ramsey and Barkley, the latter immediately into the action. He sends a dribbler wide left of goal from distance. Henderson doesn’t rush to restart the game.
69 min: Eze has opportunities to launch an attack, with Mateta and Munoz either side of him. But he clanks into Kamara, and Villa counter. Rogers runs purposefully down the inside-left channel but is eventually crowded out. Palace doing a good job of snuffing most of Villa’s attacks out right now.
67 min: Watkins twists and turns in the Palace box on the left. He finds Rogers, who wedges across towards Bailey. There’s time to chest down, but Bailey’s shot from eight yards, through a thicket of players, pings off his own man Torres and out for a goal kick. Big chance, and a reminder that Villa are not out of this yet. One goal back and everything changes. Again.
65 min: Richards goes into the book for a poor slide into Rogers. The defender has the good grace not to complain about the decision.
64 min: Wharton is having a great game. This time it’s Rogers he robs, sending Sarr away down the right. Sarr’s cutback is hacked clear. Villa can’t handle Palace’s press at all.
62 min: … which is eventually worked back to Tielemans, who tries to make amends with a long-distance belt. The man who won the cup for Leicester City back in 2021 sends his shot harmlessly over the bar.
61 min: Villa respond with a double change, hooking McGinn and Digne for Bailey and Maatsen. Bailey’s first significant act is to drive down the right and win a corner …
59 min: Two fine, fine, fine goals from a Palace point of view. What hits from Eze and Sarr! Two poor, poor, poor errors from Villa’s perspective, though. Torres and Tielemans with plenty to think about.
GOAL! Crystal Palace 2-0 Aston Villa (Sarr 58)
Wharton closes down a dozing Tielemans 35 yards out. The ball pings to Sarr, who takes a couple of touches down the middle, and a little to the right, before launching a low drive into the bottom left! Martinez had no chance! Simple as that! Palace back in Party Mode again!
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57 min: McGinn has the opportunity to release Digne into space down the left, but overhits the pass, which flies out for a goal kick. Villa have clearly upped the tempo. But …
55 min: The Palace supporters were giving it plenty for a moment or two there. But Villa’s fans are the loudest now. How quickly the mood can change.
54 min: Mateta’s penalty was struck well, if off target. Which is admittedly a big caveat. Martinez’s antics no doubt a factor in addling the striker’s brain.
Mateta misses the penalty!
53 min: After a quick VAR check, Mateta plops the ball on the spot. Martinez prances about to put him off … and it works! Mateta’s penalty clips the outside of the right-hand post and out for a goal kick! Martinez had guessed correctly, as well, and may have saved it had it been on target.
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Penalty for Crystal Palace!
51 min: Mitchell dribbles in from the left. His shot-cum-cross is half cleared. Wharton sends it straight back down the inside-left channel to Eze, who enters the box and is clipped from behind by Kamara. The referee points instantly to the spot. A huge chance for Palace to double their lead!
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49 min: Cash curls in from the right. McGinn meets the ball sweetly on the penalty spot with a powerful sidefoot. Straight at Henderson, though, the keeper tipping over. And from the resulting corner, swung in from the right, Digne shoots from the left-hand edge of the D, his low rasping shot heading into the bottom right. Henderson fingertips around the post, his second big save in a minute. Nothing comes of the second corner, but this is better from Villa.
47 min: Mateta heads into space down the left for Eze to chase. Torres is forced to come across and concede a throw. From that, Eze cuts in from the touchline and aims a curler towards the top right. Full marks for ambition if nothing else. Miles high and wide. Hey, he’s still in credit this afternoon for that fine first-half strike.
Aston Villa get the second half started. No changes. Yet.
Half-time punditry. Eberechi Eze’s strike was magnificent, a first-time power curler towards the top-left corner. But according to Wayne Rooney on the BBC, Emi Martinez has “got to save it.” The shot was within reach, that’s for sure, but perhaps that’s slightly harsh, so well was it struck. Still, it went near, if not quite through, him, so opinions will vary. If it does go down as a mistake, it’s the latest in a grim run for the Villa keeper, who has been recently questioned for his role in goals against PSG, Nottingham Forest and Manchester City. Additionally, Gary Lineker is sure the generous chalking-off of Jean-Philippe Mateta’s effort just before the goal was bogus. Rooney agrees, spluttering that if anything: “It’s a foul on Mateta!”
But never mind the BBC, because here comes our old friend Kári Tulinius: “After a first half hour mostly spent wondering who Crystal Palace’s most famous fan is (probably Eddie Izzard), the game really sprang into life. But during those thirty minutes I found my eye drawn to Wharton and Kamada. They harried Villa’s midfield, keeping them from finding a rhythm. If they can keep that up in the second half, I imagine Glasner will be a very happy fellow.”
HALF TIME: Crystal Palace 1-0 Aston Villa
It took a while to get going, but when it did … oooo-weee! Palace thoroughly deserve their half-time lead; they’ve been magnificent to watch going forward and could easily be one or two additional goals to the good. And yet Villa have had their chances up the other end as well. Great fun. What a cup semi!
45 min +1: The first of two extra minutes goes by without drama. The Villa defence is all over the shop.
45 min: Palace really should be 2-0 up now. Sarr is sent skittering into space down the right by Wharton. He cuts back for Mitchell, who simply has to sidefoot home, unmarked as he is on the penalty spot. But he takes a fresh-air swipe. It had to be a goal. The ball’s knocked out for a corner, from which nothing comes.
44 min: Tielemans sends a long pass down the inside-left channel. The ball breaks to McGinn, who curls a dangerous cross towards Konsa at the far stick. Konsa tries to emulate Keith Houchen’s career-defining work at this end of the stadium in 1987, but can’t connect with his diving header.
42 min: Konsa looks super-skittish this afternoon. He’s nearly robbed by Eze, 40 yards from his goal. He recovers his poise just in time, but still. The Villa defender – who was skinned by Mateta for that run on 39 mins – is far from his best so far.
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40 min: Henderson’s save leads to another corner, which is blootered away unceremoniously by Lacroix. In a parallel universe, it’s 2-0 to Palace. In the one further on from that, it’s 1-1. This is great fun now!
39 min: Palace should be doubling their lead. Mateta steams down the left and stands one up for Sarr, who can’t get a header on target from six yards. Villa then counter and nearly equalise through Watkins, who is causing plenty of trouble down the left. His shot-cum-cross is deflected out for a corner, which leads to Konsa heading towards the bottom right. Henderson gets down to claw out just in time!
37 min: Mitchell and Guehi launch a pincer move on Rogers, who is trying to advance down the right. Rogers goes over and Mitchell accidentally plants his knee on the Villa man’s chin. Thankfully after the sting subsides, Rogers is fine to get up and continue, no serious harm done. But that’ll have hurt.
35 min: On the touchline, Unai Emery is no longer ranting and raving. He’s merely standing there shaking his head sadly. First PSG, then City midweek, now this. His side’s promising season is threatening to unravel at the business end. Plenty of time to fix things this afternoon though.
34 min: Villa try to respond immediately, Watkins working his way down the left to win a corner. From the set piece, Torres tries to make amends but his header floats harmlessly wide right.
32 min: That’s an absolutely sensational finish, albeit after more ponderous defensive work from Villa’s point of view. They got away with the Konsa-Mateta challenge; they didn’t get away with Torres’s poor clearance. They’re claiming a hand-ball as Sarr blocked, but no sir.
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GOAL! Crystal Palace 1-0 Aston Villa (Eze 31)
… but it doesn’t matter, because Palace come back immediately at Villa, and take the lead! Torres clanks a clearance straight at Sarr, who barrels off down the right. He cuts infield and pulls back for Eze, who from the edge of the box, first-times a rising drive past Martinez and into the top right!
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29 min: Mateta steals the ball off a snoozing Konsa, 30 yards from the Villa goal. He’s clear! He opens his body and slots past Martinez and into the bottom right. But the whistle goes for a foul. There was contact between the two players, but who kicked who, as Mateta was easing his man off the ball? The decision goes Villa’s way, and you can guess what Oliver Glasner thinks about it. It’s a soft one.
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28 min: Eze heads a pass down the left for Mitchell, and now it’s Villa’s turn to make a meal of a low cross. Mateta is lurking and preparing to shoot when Konda misses the ball entirely, only for Digne to hook clear, just in time.
26 min: Asensio catches Kamada from behind near the centre circle. It’s late and clumsy, but seemingly not worthy of a booking. You’ve seen them given.
24 min: Villa should be leading. Digne makes a nuisance of himself down the left and curls a low cross into the mixer. Palace inexplicably let the ball bounce all the way through to Rogers, coming in from the right to meet it. Rogers attempts to steer a shot back across Henderson and into the bottom left, but sends it wide of the post. A really good chance goes begging.
22 min: Mitchell does very well to keep the ball in play while advancing down the left touchline. He eventually doubles back on himself near the halfway line, as Unai Emery goes ballistic in the technical area, convinced the ball had run out for a Villa throw. Not exactly a proportionate response, but such is the pressure of a major semi-final.
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20 min: Asensio curls the free kick in from the right touchline. The Palace box heavily populated. Richards is forced to head behind for the first corner of the game. Asensio pings the corner from the right towards the near post, where it clanks off Tielemans and out for a goal kick.
19 min: Richards throws long from the right. Some head tennis in the Villa box before Digne clears. Villa counter through Rogers, who gets the better of Mitchell down the right. What speed! He’s about to bust clear towards the box when Mitchell tugs him back. That’s another no-brainer of a booking, and a free kick for Villa in a dangerous position, just to the right of the Palace box.
17 min: Mateta drives down the middle of the park, only to be upended by Kamara, sliding in from behind. You can tell referee Anthony Taylor is reluctant to flash an early yellow, but he realises he’s got no option. Kamara goes into the book.
16 min: Richards launches long. Mateta gets ahead of the Villa defence in a race towards the ball, but there’s too much juice on the pass and Mateta can’t reach the ball. Martinez is able to claim on the edge of the box.
14 min: Villa continue to hog the ball. Palace quite happy to sit back and observe.
12 min: The first shot in anger is taken by Kamara, a speculative effort from the best part of 30 yards. It sails a similar distance over the bar. Watkins, who was making a run across the face of the box, shoots his team-mate a glance.
11 min: It’s all Villa in terms of early possession. McGinn attempts to find Watkins down the left but Munoz holds his position and refuses permission to pass.
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9 min: Watkins and Rogers try to get something going down the Villa right, a couple of cute flicks briefly threatening to open up the channel. But then Cash clips the heel of Guehi, needlessly so, and the whistle goes.
7 min: Still nowt going on. Villa being very patient, Palace happy to sit back and watch them knock it around the back. Everyone still in Party Mode nevertheless. Speaking of which … “Great move on the part of those Palace fans with flares, blinding their keeper and defence for a few minutes,” writes Pat. “Alanis Morrisette would have had a field day if Villa had scored through the fog.”
5 min: First the smoke, now an invasion of red balloons. The ref briefly pauses the match to allow Henderson to pop a few.
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4 min: Other than that one progressive Kamara pass, nobody’s showing their hand as of yet. A thoughtful start as both teams gently probe.
2 min: Kamara tries to release Cash down the right with a clever first-time pass. Lacroix is on point to usher both opponent and ball out of play for a goal kick. We can just about make this out. A lot of smoke down this end of the pitch, thanks to the tail end of a pre-match pyro party.
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Crystal Palace get the ball rolling. Glorious bedlam in the stands. Everyone excited, one step away from English football’s glamour showpiece.
The teams are out! Wembley bouncing with both sets of fans giving it their all. As the designated home team, Crystal Palace get to wear their first-choice colours … which used to be Aston Villa-inspired claret and blue, back in the distant mists of time, but are of course red and blue these days. Villa are in their all-white change strip as a result. We’ll be off in a couple of minutes!
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Oliver Glasner talks to the BBC. “We are all very excited and looking forward to this game … great atmosphere … fantastic stadium … great support from our fans … the kind of game everyone wants to play … we are in a good shape … we feel really well … let’s go … we have to perform at our top level … Villa doing so well in the Premier League and Champions League … we know how they play … discipline … focus … we will get chances … we have to wait for errors and we can score from them.”
… as does Unai Emery. “Massive respect for Palace … successful coach … they deserve to be here, playing in the semi-final … they are performing very well.” Emery also confirmed that Marcus Rashford is injured, though gave no more details other than his being not fit for today.
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… but while recent results haven’t gone Villa’s way, other historical events serve them well. These two clubs have met on three previous occasions in the FA Cup, and Villa have got through each and every time. They beat Palace 5-0 in the third round in 1912-13, 4-3 in the third round in 1961-62, and 3-1 in a fifth-round replay in 2009-10. Villa went on to win the Cup in 1913, a little sepia-toned succour that balances things out nicely.
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Click below for what happened the last time these teams met, at Selhurst Park almost exactly two months ago. That 4-1 thumping doesn’t augur well for Villa, who had to come from behind twice against Palace at Villa Park in November to force a 2-2 draw, having been knocked out of the League Cup by the Eagles the previous month. Palace also spanked Villa 5-0 on the final day of last season, so we can reasonably say they’ve got Unai Emery’s team’s number right now.
Crystal Palace make three changes to their first XI in the wake of their 2-2 draw at Arsenal. Jean-Philippe Mateta, Ismaïla Sarr and Chris Richards are in; Jefferson Lerma, Eddie Nketiah and Justin Devenny drop to the bench.
Aston Villa also make three changes to their starting XI, following their narrow 2-1 defeat at Manchester City. John McGinn, Ollie Watkins and Marco Asensio are back; Amadou Onana and Jacob Ramsey drop to the bench, while the injured Marcus Rashford misses out altogether.
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The teams
Crystal Palace: Henderson, Richards, Lacroix, Guehi, Munoz, Wharton, Kamada, Mitchell, Sarr, Eze, Mateta.
Subs: Turner, Ward, Lerma, Nketiah, Clyne, Hughes, Esse, Chilwell, Devenny.
Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne, McGinn, Kamara, Rogers, Tielemans, Asensio, Watkins.
Subs: Olsen, Mings, Maatsen, Garcia, Barkley, Onana, Bailey, Malen, Ramsey.
Referee: Anthony Taylor (Cheshire).
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Preamble
Aston Villa last won the FA Cup in 1957, 68 of your Earth years ago, and even that’s something of an outlier. Five of their other six wins came during the Victorian and Edwardian eras, so it’s not as though they’ve got much of a modern tradition in this competition to fall back on. Compare and contrast to Crystal Palace, who, despite never winning the FA Cup, arguably boast a better record in recent times. At least they came close to winning the competition in 1990 and 2016, giving it a good go in the final; Villa’s only two appearances in the final since that aforementioned Fifties triumph, in 2000 and 2015, were thundering non-events from their point of view. All of which is a long-winded way of saying that both of these clubs are desperate to reach this year’s final and put right some modern-day wrongs. Kick-off at Wembley is 5.15pm BST. It’s on!
