How football found God
Without wanting to sound like a refugee from the 1950s, it was a shame that last week's Cup Final was not the climax to the domestic season but sandwiched between a cluster of Premier League games – and kicked off at 4.30 p.m., which must have been unhelpful for those hoping to get a train back to Manchester. Palace wholly deserved to win: they defended brilliantly, broke like lightning and cunningly sabotaged any momentum a ponderous Manchester City might have been trying to develop by hurling themselves to the ground at the slightest opportunity. Never mind: the Palace fans were fantastic and kept Wembley afloat on a rich sea of sound throughout.
As for kick-off timings, don't expect them to get any better. As part of its multi-billion rights deal, Sky will show nearly 100 more Premier League games next season. So get ready for Thursday night football, Friday lunchtime football, breakfast football, elevenses football so Sky can fit the games in somewhere. But it needs to be careful here: eventually fans will give up as the times keep switching. And nothing screws up a broadcast like a half-empty stadium.
There's a good argument today that the most influential figure in modern football is not the manager or agent but the Man Upstairs. You must have noticed how many players thank the Lord Almighty after smashing a 30-yard rocket into the back of the net. The wonderful Palace striker Eberechi Eze is a case in point. Immediately after his beautifully taken winning goal at Wembley he pointed towards the heavens.
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