Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner expressed his pride as his side ran out 1-0 winners over Manchester City to lift the Emirates FA Cup.
It was third time lucky for the Eagles, who lost out on two previous occasions in 1990 and again in 2016. But this time around, they had Glasner, who arrived at Selhurst Park in February last year, spearheading the charge.
“I can’t really believe it,” said Glasner. “If you play this game ten times, we win it once and that happened today.
“We scored the first time we were in their half and then we defended with every single phase of the body and a great goalkeeper, a great mentality and togetherness.
“I’m really proud of the team and the staff – congratulations, all the credit goes to them.”
Glasner and his players praised their efforts to execute their gameplan in the semi-final against Aston Villa, and the Eagles manager ensured his side stuck to those principles when they returned to Wembley Stadium this weekend to take on league rivals City.
“We analysed the games when we conceded a lot of goals [to City] and we saw that when they find the pocket we are vulnerable,” reflected Glasner. “That happened in the first half when they got the penalty.
“Kamada was a little bit impatient, stepped out and then they played quick passes into the gaps. This is what you want to avoid.
“We gave them more possession without letting them into the pockets. We let them cross, we know we can defend those. It was all about being patient and finding the right moments [to break].”
Oliver Glasner, the first manager to lift the #EmiratesFACup with @CPFC 🏆 pic.twitter.com/XniEnZP6W9
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) May 17, 2025
But the 50 year old insisted his team couldn’t have done it without the backing of their fanbase.
And he urged the Palace supporters to enjoy their moment after making history.
“I said beforehand to the players, the biggest achievement would be to give our fans a weekend [of celebration] to forget all the problems at home, whatever it is, and now they are enjoying tomorrow,” added Glasner. “Maybe there will be a few headaches tomorrow!
“This is what they deserve because they always stick with us. This trophy is especially for all our fans from south London.”
