Crystal Palace celebrate. Photo: Photosport
Crystal Palace outplayed Aston Villa as they soared into the FA Cup final for only the third time with two brilliant goals by Ismaila Sarr and a stunner by Eberechi Eze sealing a 3-0 victory in an entertaining clash at Wembley on Sunday.
Palace's fans, dreaming of a first major trophy in the south London club's 119-year history, cranked up the volume from the first minute and were rewarded in thrilling fashion as the Eagles moved one win away from delivering silverware.
England forward Eze put Palace ahead in the 31st minute with a sweetly-struck right-foot shot from just outside the penalty area after being picked out by the irrepressible Sarr.
Tyrick Mitchell spurned a glorious chance to make it 2-0 just before half-time and when Jean-Phillipe Mateta blazed a penalty wide shortly after the restart Palace might have feared they would be made to pay by their Premier League rivals.
But lacklustre Villa could not cope with Palace's relentless energy and Sarr then sent a long-range low drive past Emiliano Martinez just before the hour to put his side firmly in control.
The Palace party was already in full swing when Sarr burst clear in stoppage time to finish in style.
Palace lost in the 1990 and 2016 finals, both to Manchester United, and will hope to make it third time lucky on May 17 against either Manchester City or Nottingham Forest, who meet in the second semi-final back at Wembley on Monday morning.
Less than a fortnight ago Villa bowed out of the Champions League in a blaze of glory as they beat Paris St Germain 3-2 at Villa Park only to lose 5-4 on aggregate but this time slunk out of Wembley looking crestfallen.
Defeat by Palace will sting more as their were genuine hopes that Villa could win their first FA Cup since 1957 and a first trophy since 1996. In reality they were demolished by a far hungrier Palace side who also knocked them out of this year's League Cup and took four points off them in the league.
'Special day'
Palace are thriving under Austrian coach Oliver Glasner, who took charge 14 months ago, despite a slow start to the season. With the likes of Eze, Sarr and Mateta in their ranks they will now believe they can finally lift a major trophy.
"Special day. We want to go all the way and we believe we can do it," Eze, who was named man of the match before Sarr buried his second goal, said. "We've shown performances like this all the time, we're not worried or fearful of anyone."
Villa, seventh in the league to Palace's 12th, looked blunt without injured Marcus Rashford and can have few complaints as a season that promised so much threatens to end in anti-climax.
"At the moment it stings but some days football comes and punches you in the face and today is one of those days," Villa captain John McGinn said.
The only time Unai Emery's side really looked threatening was just after half-time when McGinn saw his first-time effort palmed over by goalkeeper Dean Henderson who moments later made am equally stunning save to keep out Lucas Digne's low strike.
Mitchell's air-kick with the goal gaping before half-time and Mateta's missed penalty, given for a foul on Eze, meant Villa still remained in the hunt.
Bur Palace defended their lead in tenacious fashion when required to do so and ended up comfortable winners.
"All the credit to the players. They had to work so hard. They had to overcome a few difficult moments," Glasner, the first Austrian coach to reach an FA Cup final, said.
"It was an unbelievable performance today."
- Reuters
