Five things we learnt from Manchester city Vs Crystal palace

 

Here are five things we learned from Manchester City's 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup Final:

 * Crystal Palace can win tactical battles: Despite Manchester City dominating possession (76.7%), Crystal Palace, under Oliver Glasner, executed a brilliant tactical plan. They absorbed pressure effectively and scored the winner through a well-executed counter-attack, exposing flaws in Pep Guardiola's unexpected 3-5-2 formation.

 * Guardiola's tactical gamble backfired: Pep Guardiola's decision to field a team without a natural holding midfielder proved costly. Crystal Palace repeatedly bypassed City's midfield with long balls to Jean-Philippe Mateta, creating space for the decisive attack. The absence of the injured Rodri or other natural holding midfielders was keenly felt.

 * Dean Henderson had a heroic, albeit controversial, performance: The Crystal Palace goalkeeper was instrumental in their victory. He made a string of crucial saves, including one from a penalty. However, he was also fortunate to avoid a red card early in the game for handling the ball outside his area.

 * Eberechi Eze was the match-winner and continues his impressive form: Eze scored the only goal of the game, continuing his rich vein of form. He has now scored in five consecutive matches and three times in this year's FA Cup.

 * Manchester City's season ends trophyless, raising questions about the future: This defeat means Manchester City will end the 2024-25 season without a major trophy, a significant disappointment after their recent successes. This result, coupled with surrendering the Premier League title and exiting the Champions League early, suggests that changes might be needed within the squad.

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