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Daily Mail
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Crystal Palace FA Cup trophy parade: Thousands of fans line the streets in south London - as Oliver Glasner and his side head to Selhurst Park to celebrate historic title
As the Crystal Palace buses carrying their FA Cup heroes reached the corner of Whitehorse Lane and Park Road, and Selhurst Park came into view, the grey clouds finally gave way and the rain began to fall. The thousands who lined the narrow roads leading to the stadium pulled up their hoods and wrapped flags around their necks to guard them from the elements. A few even stuck plastic shopping bags over their heads as they waited for the coaches to come past. Nothing, though, was going to dampen this party. Blue and red flare smoke filled the air. Children hung from lampposts and stood on garden walls, craning their necks to get a glimpse of their champions. A dad hoisted his daughter on to his shoulders, her pig tails held together with red and blue ties. A couple of locals perched themselves on their roof, perched on the open bedroom windows. On the top of the coaches, a beaming Oliver Glasner clutched the FA Cup trophy in his hands. Will Hughes partied with a scarf around his head a bottle in his hand. Ismaila Sarr wore a bucket hat and waved his flag, Jefferson Lerma set off his own red flare. Dean Henderson grabbed the microphone and sang Palace's anthem Glad All Over. When everyone eventually made it inside Selhurst Park for their 'party on the pitch', the goalkeeper led a more sober reworking of Shakira 's hit Waka Waka than the one he performed in the celebrations after the Wembley final. 'We finished 12th, who gives a f***…we won the FA Cup!' This is a feeling none of the thousands of fans here have experienced before, celebrating the club's first ever major trophy after Eberechi Eze's goal secured a 1-0 win over Manchester City Street vendors flogging t-shirts, scarves and bucket hats did a roaring trade. The sound of vuvuzelas rang out like it was the 2010 World Cup. One man carried a cardboard cut-out of Glasner lifting the FA Cup down Whitehorse Lane, prompting a chorus of 'We've got Super Ollie Glasner' from those along the road. Mail Sport spent the day among the jubilant Palace supporters, many of whom never expected these days to come. 'I never thought it would happen,' admitted 83-year-old James Pickard, who has followed the club for 75 years, here with two of his sons and three grandchildren. Another man in his late 60s wiped tears away as he admitted never belived this day would come. Wherever you looked, you saw Palace fans from all generations, from every background, celebrating together. All of them united by their region and their club. 'That's what's special about South London – all races, creeds and religions,' added his son Stephen. One fan strode towards the ground in his Palace shirt with 'grandad' written on the back, a present from his daughter, who suffered a still birth in February. 'I'll wear it with pride,' he said. Another Palace supporter called Dan stood on a wall next to Mail Sport while waiting for the buses and told how he'd endured a power cut 83 minutes into watching the FA Cup final and only regained it as the game went into stoppage time. 'It was probably less stressful,' he added. On the train earlier, father and daughter Andy and Ruby were ready to celebrate. Ruby wrapped herself in a Columbia flag in honour of defender Daniel Munoz, her favourite player, who was later named the club's player of the season. Andy has spent every day since the win checking the list of teams who Palace could play in the Europa League. 'If Tottenham can win it, we can,' declared another supporter marching towards Selhurst Park. Later in the day, when the players took to the stage in front of thousands of fans on the Selhurst Park pitch for the end-of-season awards, Glasner spoke with the same ambition. 'We all will enjoy this journey, playing the Premier League, playing the Carabao Cup, playing the FA Cup and now playing the Europa League. Four competitions, four titles to win, let's go for every single one,' said Glasner, who gave no indication he would be saying goodbye to the Palace project just yet. Palace chairman Steve Parish echoed those sentiments. 'Winning is a drug. There's no reason we can't do it again. The manager is already preparing for next season. There is no respite for anyone. We need to deliver in the close season for the manager and we are going to try to push on.' When you've never done anything like this before in your 120-year professional history, you can't expect everything to run smoothly. There was some disappointment that the short parade route, consisting just three roads around the stadium, had not been extended to include Crystal Palace Park, the club's old home and former host of the FA Cup final, but disagreements between the club and the local authorities meant it was not able to be organised in time. A delay to the start of the parade also left fans stood around for longer than expected and some followed BBC News coverage on their phones to see how far away the coaches were. One lad got caught by a false alarm and let off his flare far too early. But like Palace's long quest for a trophy, it got there in the end and was well worth the wait.
Straits Times
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Nketiah and Eze on target on Palace party night
Soccer Football - Premier League - Crystal Palace v Wolverhampton Wanderers - Selhurst Park, London, Britain - May 20, 2025 Crystal Palace's Eddie Nketiah celebrates scoring their second goal with Will Hughes REUTERS/Tony O Brien LONDON - Eddie Nketiah scored twice on Crystal Palace's party night as they celebrated their FA Cup triumph in style with a 4-2 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League on Tuesday. Palace's last home game of the season came three days after they beat Manchester City at Wembley to claim the first major silverware in the south London club's history and there were euphoric scenes as they hit back to take the three points. The carnival atmosphere was interrupted briefly when Wolves took the lead through Emmanuel Agbadou's 24th-minute header but Selhurst Park was really rocking when Nketiah struck twice in the space of five minutes before halftime. Ben Chilwell's free kick deflected off of Agbadou's head to make it 3-1 in the 50th minute and the noise in the stadium barely diminished when Wolves reduced the deficit with a glancing header from Jorgen Strand Larsen. Twelfth-placed Palace, who made six changes to the side that started against City, brought on Cup final goal hero Eberechi Eze in the 81st minute and he put the icing on the cake with an angled finish after a jinking run. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Sun
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Dean Henderson leads celebrations with X-rated song as Crystal Palace stars party long into night after FA Cup final
DEAN HENDERSON led Crystal Palace's FA Cup celebrations with an X-rated son. The goalkeeper played a crucial role as the Eagles won their first-ever major honour. 8 8 8 8 Henderson, 28, escaped a red card for handling the ball outside of the box during the match. He also pulled off a number of impressive saves, including denying Omar Marmoush from the penalty spot. The former Manchester United goalkeeper enjoyed the club's celebrations into the evening. Henderson was filmed chanting an X-rated song during the club's celebrations at BoxPark. To the tune of Shakira's Waka Waka, he chanted: "12th again, who gives a f***. We've won the FA Cup." Palace's celebrations lasted long into the night as the official social media account asked "Who is still up?" at 12.49am. The post was joined with a video that showed Jean-Philippe Mateta dancing away to Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom by Vengaboys. The FA Cup trophy made an appearance as it was raised from the balcony at the venue for the fans below. JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS Midfielder Will Hughes was also filmed by a fan enjoying himself as he downed his pint. Stars such as Eberechi Eze and Joel Ward were snapped in their suit as they celebrated. Crystal Palace stars lift FA Cup trophy as they win first major honour in club's history with win over Man City 8 8 8 8 Eze looked suave in his suit, while the outgoing Ward could be seen with the trophy as he made a phone call. Meanwhile, after the full-time whistle, Henderson clashed with Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola. The stopper could be seen showing his ten fingers up to the Spaniard due to the length of added time. Guardiola did not appreciate the gesture as he made a beeline for the Palace star. Henderson also dedicated the victory to his dad, who tragically passed away in July 2024. He said on live TV: 'It's why I left (Man Utd), it's what I set out to do. 'But honestly, I lost my dad at the start of the season, and I'll miss him here today. 'But he was with me every kick of the ball today and I dedicate that win to him.' Crystal Palace ratings CRYSTAL PALACE secured their first ever trophy with a famous FA Cup final victory over Manchester City. The Eagles went into the match as underdogs but managed to nullify the former Treble winners with a spectacular defensive display. And at the heart of it was goalkeeper Dean Henderson, who could have been sent off for handling the ball outside the box before making the most of his reprieve. The goalkeeper went on to save a penalty from Omar Marmoush before producing a string of saves to keep Pep Guardiola's men out. Here's how SunSport's Dan King rated the Crystal Palace players on the most famous day in the club's history.
Daily Mail
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Crystal Palace's FA Cup hero Dean Henderson leads fans in X-rated chant as stars begin boozy night of celebrations after beating Man City to win FIRST major trophy
Dean Henderson led an X-rated chant as Crystal Palace players joined supporters to toast their shock FA Cup victory at Wembley on Saturday night. The Eagles earned a 1-0 win over Man City to secure the club's first major silverware in their history. Eberechi Eze was Palace's hero at the national stadium, turning in a Daniel Munoz cross for the only goal of the showpiece. Henderson was also central to the action with the Eagles goalkeeper avoiding being sent off for handling outside the penalty area. The 28-year-old then produced a stunning penalty save from Omar Marmoush to preserve Palace's lead, before making a series of fine stops to seal victory. After lifting the FA Cup, Crystal Palace's squad headed to BoxPark at Wembley to continue their celebrations. PROTECT DEANO AT ALL COSTS❤️💙🦅 #cpfc — // Miss L.A. // (@DJ_MissLA) May 17, 2025 Crystal Palace midfielder Will Hughes downed a pint as the Eagles celebrations began Henderson, appearing on a balcony, took the microphone and led supporters in revised X-rated version of Shakira's song 'Waka Waka'. 'Tsamina mina, eh, eh, waka waka, eh, eh, 12 again who gives a f***, we've won the FA Cup,' Henderson chanted. Henderson delivered multiple renditions of the chorus with fans joining in with the chant. The goalkeeper's chant referenced long-running jokes about Crystal Palace's mid-table Premier League finishes since returning to the top flight back in 2013. Palace have achieved a high of 10th place over the past 11 seasons, with the Eagles lowest finish being 15th in that time period. Oliver Glasner's side headed into the final in 12th place in the table, but qualified for next season's Europa League following their triumph in the FA Cup final. Long-serving midfielder Will Hughes suggested Palace will have a boozy night of celebrations after downing a beer on the balcony, amid chants and cheers from Palace supporters. Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish also addressed fans who had gathered at BoxPark. 'This has been an unbelievable moment for all of us, for South London,' Parish said. 'I want to thank each and every one of you, you have been absolutely amazing, all of the people that have given us support.' One Palace star, Adam Wharton, was absent from their initial post-match celebrations. Wharton had been struck in the head by a thunderous Kevin De Bruyne shot late on and had to be assessed for concussion. Though he walked off unassisted and appeared in good spirits, Palace's medical team took no risks and sent him for concussion checks post-match, ruling him out of the immediate celebrations. However, the midfielder was able to post on Instagram later on Saturday, and even poked fun at himself after missing out on enjoying some special moments with his team-mates. Alongside a photo of himself lying in a hospital bed, Wharton wrote: 'Apparently we won the FA Cup! EAGLESSSSSSSSSS.'
The Guardian
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Will Hughes: ‘I don't like the limelight … you've got to remember the priority is football'
Chat over. Will Hughes strolls across the car park to get some photographs taken. As it happens, the man emerging from the gym at that very moment is the Crystal Palace midfield-partner whose praises Hughes has just been lavishly exalting. 'Just added about £20m to your fee in that interview,' Hughes shouts at Adam Wharton as they pass. 'You can have half,' Wharton retorts. All delivered with a knowing smile, for this is the Palace of Oliver Glasner, where – as Hughes puts it – 'there's egos, but good egos'. No arrogance, none of the blame culture he sees elsewhere. 'You watch other teams and hands are in the air, there's moaning,' he says. 'But I honestly don't see any of that here.' It's the week of the FA Cup final and there's a frisson in the air. But Hughes is happy to talk about anything and everything: the good, the bad, the ridiculous. What the first trophy of his career would mean. How a wispy teenage No 10 turned into one of the Premier League's toughest, most reliable midfielders. Why VAR is 'shit'. Whether he was ever as good as everyone said he was. Why he doesn't really watch football. The last point, dropped in casually near the end of the interview, is perhaps most startling of all. Were Hughes not playing in the FA Cup final, it's not entirely certain he would be watching it. 'I don't watch any football,' he says. 'I used to when I was younger. Now I like to switch off away from the game. I like EastEnders.' But then this has always been a player built slightly different. The private-school kid forged in a tough Derby County dressing room, the elegant passer who adores a crunching tackle, the guy groomed as the next star of English football, but who doesn't even do social media. There is a YouTube video from 2012 entitled 'Will Hughes – The Next Great English Midfielder.' Hughes was 17. By this point he had already made his Derby debut, played for England Under-21s and was being compared to Xavi, Andrés Iniesta and Jack Wilshere. Glasner alluded to this recently when he said: 'I was told that when Will was 19 he was one of the best passers in English football. I don't know what happened between.' So what happened between? Was he actually as good as that? How much of the hype was just hype? 'I don't want to put myself down,' he says, 'but I never did anything to warrant that. People say I've not achieved what I should have. If I'd scored 10-15 goals for three consecutive seasons, then I could hold my hands up. But there was nothing that warranted that sort of hype. 'I'm very self-critical. One of my strong points is I know what I'm good at and what I'm not good at. [Eberechi] Eze and [Michael] Olise, they can do things with a ball that I could never do in a million years. But I was trustworthy on the pitch. That's the most important thing for a manager.' At which point it feels like an appropriate moment to talk about Wharton: another left-footed midfield boy-king tipped for greatness. 'On the ball, frightening,' Hughes says. 'Levels above what I am. Some of the things he does – how he's seen that? There's no stats for some of the stuff he does: breaking up play, passing through the lines. The most important thing is he's humble. As long as he keeps that, he can go to the very top.' In a way Hughes was lucky. At Derby he was steeped in a culture of humility and hard work, surrounded by senior players who would give him a rattle if he ever started to believe his own hype. 'Unfortunately, for a lot of young players now, that's not the case,' he says. 'A lot of people will tell them what they want to hear. 'I don't like the limelight. But the game moves on, generationally. Younger players are on social media, which is absolutely fine, but you've got to remember the priority is football. There's those who get caught in that blurred line, and want to be a celebrity first. Which I think is sad. I don't want to sit here and be miserable about it. But the game I fell in love with when I was a young kid is completely different.' An old-school character, then, on and off the pitch. At Watford and then at Palace, Hughes gradually adapted his game, moved further back, started getting his hands dirty. 'I've always had that grit,' he insists. 'It's gone out of the game a bit now, it feels like every tackle now is a potential booking. But that's on players as well, making a meal out of every single foul.' Eleven bookings this season suggests as much, although as Hughes adds with a smile: 'Some of those were necessary.' Talk of discipline brings us on to the over-officiating of the game, the way VAR slows every tackle down in microscopic detail. 'I hate it, I absolutely hate it,' he says. 'I just think it's ridiculous when an official has to look at it 10 times. There's obviously a line of endangering the opponent, but I think 90% of them [red-card tackles] are subjective. Referees talk about 'progressivity of tackles', which I just can't get my head around. It's an aggressive game.' What if footballers felt empowered to challenge the status quo? To organise, to mobilise, to declare with one voice that VAR is … 'Shit?' Hughes replies. 'But there's many players that think it's a good thing. That it protects them. Obviously there's a line. But I think generally fans want to see that intensity, the back and forth of the game.' Which, coincidentally, is a pretty good way of describing Glasner's Palace: an aggressive 3-4-3 that will fight you all over the pitch, that can cut you open with speed, transition and width. 'I've learned things under this manager that I've never seen in my career,' Hughes says. 'The level of detail, on and off the ball, is so clear. If I was to play left wing-back I wouldn't be good, but I'd know the role.' By way of example Hughes thinks back to the equaliser Nottingham Forest scored at Selhurst Park a couple of weeks ago, a scruffy deflected shot from 20 yards. 'I should have been two or three yards closer to the edge of the box, which would have stopped the goal,' he laments. 'It's not obvious on TV that it's my fault. But everyone in the team and on the management staff would know. These are the details many people don't realise.' Hughes is now 30, a player of 181 appearances in the Premier League and none for England. While Wharton and Eze and Marc Guéhi and Dean Henderson jet off for international breaks, he looks forward to a little family time. 'Again, without putting myself down,' he says, 'there are a lot better players than me in that England squad. You wish you could. But there's not one part of me that thinks I should.' Go back through the England Under-21 teams that Hughes was part of a decade ago and while some of the players involved shot to fame – Harry Kane, Jack Grealish, John Stones – others sank without trace. So how does Hughes measure his career? Did he fulfil the talent he actually had, rather than the talent everyone assumed he did? 'It's a good question,' he says after a pause for thought. 'Yeah, I think I have. People don't realise that in football, longevity is a massive thing. You see so many players that do well for a year or two.' What would really seal the deal is a trophy at Wembley. Hughes has had a bite of this cherry before: in 2019 his Watford team reached the FA Cup final against Manchester City, only to get blown away 6-0. 'Some teams you play against just suit you,' he says. 'For us, the last couple of years, I think it's been [Aston] Villa. Watford and City just wasn't a good combination. And their squad was just frightening. So a mixed day. Pride to get to the final, but losing by that amount, there's a tint of embarrassment.' Hughes has no idea whether he's starting on Saturday. Either way, he's ready. An old-school player who has always measured his career by enjoyment rather than engagement, by metres run rather than milestones ticked off, now has a chance to achieve something tangible. Something that will last for ever. Or as he puts it: 'Getting to the final is one thing. Winning … it's a completely different ball game.'
