Crystal Palace 3-0 Aston Villa: A stunning attack by Ebereechi Eze and a brace from Ismaila Sarr secure Palace a place in the FA Cup final, because the side of Unai Emery was well beaten at Wembley
The Eagles landed again in the FA Cup final – and this time they hope that the third time is lucky. Wing Wizards Ebereechi Eze and Ismaila Sarr have called for three sensational goals to send Aston Villa in a downward spiral and to put South London on another High Alert for Wembley tickets.
SARR, who set up opener for Eze in the first half, struck twice after the break after Jean-Philippe Mateta had missed a penalty to ask palace boss Oliver Glasner to dance the touchline in delight.
Twice before Palace was implemented to take a place in the showpieces of English football – and both times they were defeated by Manchester United.
Glasner will now try to get a better than Steve Coppell and Alan Phartew by taking the oldest trophy back to Selhurst Park for the first time. And the good news is that Palace does not play United.
The men of Glasner were huge outsiders against a team that fights for a place in the top five of the Premier League after a trip in the Champions League who saw them reach the quarterfinals before they walked a cruel defeat by favorites Paris St. Germain.
But they had too much energy in front of Unai Emery. They had more appetite for the fight – and they came up with two quality moments that were good enough to win a game. Now Palace will wipe out the cruel memories of 1990 and 2016.
For Villa, the challenge is to prevent a season from falling so much in total despair. The eastern end of the stadium with their 36,000 fans was abandoned by the last whistle.
It was a slow burner of a semi – but the greater firepower of Palace proved the difference. The underdogs of Oliver Glasner also demonstrated a spirit that will be useful to them when they return to Wembley to meet Nottingham Forest of Manchester City in the final on 17 May.
It took 12 minutes for the first shot in anger, the ride of Boubacar Kamara from a distance that rises too high. Kamara was booked for hacking Jean-Philippe Mateta and Tyrick Marshall received the same punishment for the withdrawal of Morgan Rogers.
Rogers was disappointed that he was unable to find a finish with this half volley after the cross of Lucas Digne found him free in the distant post. But then the game exploded in the half hour into action.
Mateta was a pity to see a goal excluded when referee Anthony Taylor decided that he had polluted Ezri Konsa when the repetitions proved that the Frenchman was simply too strong for the Villa Center-back.
Taylor's fault turned out not to be expensive. Moments later, SARR accused Pau Torres's approval to withdraw a cross between three villa defenders.
It was perfect for Eze, on the Lerte 20 meters out, and his first strike had too much poison and curl for keeper Emi Martinez.
The scenes in the palace end were like a washing machine with maximum spider. The Londoners had had another, the cross of Mateta, after embarrassing Konsa and Kamara, had not been a little too strong for Sarr on the distant post.
Villa reacted with a powerful downward header from Konsa who was taken away by palace holder Dean Henderson. Konsa was then centimeters away from getting a decisive touch of the cross of John McGinn after he first thrown himself while it ran outside the distant pole.
But Palace missed a big chance when Mitchell was sure to give SARR's Cross the finish that only deserved to completely miscreed.
Villa came out after the break. McGinn saw his volley tipped up close by Henderson before the Palace keeper excelled to touch Digne's curly effort around the post. They also received a life line in the 52nd minute when Mateta missed a penalty.
Adam Wharton's smart pass threatened to put Eze on goal before he was stretched by Kamara – and referee Taylor pointed to the place. Mateta stepped forward, but sent his punishment against the outside of the left pole of Martinez.
But again, it was Palace that responded to a set-back, while the men of Unai Emery looked like a team that no longer had steam after losing terrain in their bid at a top five finish in the Premier League and was eliminated from the Champions League in recent weeks.
The Eagles flew really high in the 58th minute. The excellent Wharton broke in a tackle to win the ball from Youri Tielemans before Mateta's dismissal gave SARR time and space to drive a low ride of 25 meters in the corner.
SARR scored again in the fourth minute of injury time and raced clearly from the halfway the replacement Eddie Nketiah's Pass to Outwit Martinez with a smart finish.
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