Crystal Palace fans arrived at the 2024/25 FA Cup final on 17 May, clinging to hope but fully aware of the challenge ahead. After all, they were facing Manchester City, one of England’s (and the world’s) most dominant and influential football clubs, and a side hardly known for generosity on big occasions.

In the Forbes ranking of the value of football teams around the world in 2024, Man City was 5th ($5.1bn), while Palace came 26th ($780m). The south London club had never won a major trophy, while City have won 36 major honours including six FA Cups alone.

But what unfolded at Wembley defied all expectations, leaving Palace supporters in tears – for all the right reasons.

As expected, Man City opened the match by dictating the tempo, dominating both possession and territory. But in the 16th minute, against the run of play and in Palace’s first legitimate attack of the game, Eberechi Eze scored a crucial goal after a well-timed assist from Daniel Muñoz.

Winning tactics

Crystal Palace started in a 3-4-3 formation, while Pep Guardiola’s Man City lined up in a 4-2-3-1 set-up. Though under the constant pressure from City, Palace quickly dropped into a 5-2-3 shape – an adjustment that proved spot-on. The extra defensive cover allowed them to protect their early lead without overcommitting going forward, effectively nullifying attacking threats.

These threats were mostly coming from City’s star striker Erling Haaland and their forward, Marmoush, who worked up against Crystal Palace’s centre-backs. The 5-2-3 formation worked so well against City because it crowded the central channels where Haaland and Marmoush do most of their damage. With three centre-backs and two midfielders sitting in front, Palace denied space between the lines and forced City wide – exactly where they’re less dangerous.

Palace’s disciplined defensive shape frustrated Man City from start to finish. As a result, City were pushed out wide and started to overthink things – passing more, probing less. It’s a familiar criticism of Guardiola: when plan A doesn’t work, he often makes things more complicated instead of simpler. Palace didn’t just defend well, they made City second-guess themselves.

As Crystal Palace’s coach Oliver Glasner put it after the big win: “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.”

Here’s what Guardiola had to say post-match: “We played a good defensive game and controlled the transitions and Palace’s incredible threat – except the goal.” He added, “They are difficult to control at throw-ins and corners and free-kicks, but we could not score. We created a lot, but we didn’t score and that’s why we could not win.”

This result mattered because it exposed a truth Guardiola’s City often skirts: structure beats spectacle when the spectacle has no end product. Palace didn’t just win – they imposed a game state that City couldn’t solve.

Palace proved that a team with a much smaller budget could effectively neutralise City’s strengths, which speaks volumes about the impact of tactical discipline. Palace didn’t dictate possession or territory, but they controlled the moments that mattered. They defined the game not by domination, but by limiting the space and options available to their opponents.

At the end of the day, even football’s most star-studded squads can be outclassed.