2 hours ago
3
Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature
Since you asked, 12/15
From the archive
Wonder who it will be today. Ebere Eze? Nico O’Reilly?
Tim Lovejoy, commentating on the Sky Sports Fanzone service, feared for his beloved Blues. “Oh no!” he wailed. “He’s through.” But wait – more insight was on the way. Lovejoy had identified the Arsenal player in question and it was a false alarm. Panic over, calm down, Arsenal won’t be scoring here, time for some bantz. “Oh, it’s only Ray Parlour,” Lovejoy said dismissively, failing to remember that the Romford Pele had scorched a wondrous drive past Valencia’s Santiago Cañizares during a Champions League quarter-final a year earlier and also that he was good at football, so good that he was playing in central midfield in an FA Cup final for the league champions, four years after playing as a right winger in an FA Cup final for the league champions.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to live, minute-by-minute coverage of the FA Cup final between Crystal Palace and Manchester City. Since the FA Cup started to lose its lustre in the late 1990s, many finals have failed to get the juices flowing – and that’s just before the game. It is my abundant pleasure to tell you that today’s match is very different, a fascinating prospect and a delicious study in contrasts.
Palace are one of the deadliest counter-attacking teams around; City, even in such a disappointing season, remains England’s possession kings. Palace are dreaming of the first major trophy in their history; City are desperate to win their first major trophy this season. It’s a perfectly pitched contest – not a heavyweight clash but not David v Goliath either. Palace have a much greater chance than that little shepherd boy with the sling, and look what he managed.
Odd though it sounds, City’s 5-2 win over Palace last month provided a case for both teams to win today. Palace shredded City on the break in the first half hour and would have gone 3-0 up but for a marginal offside. City eventually responded like cornered tigers and won 5-2.
Kick off 4.30pm.
