The Triumph of Crystal Palace is a reminder that you do not always need the biggest checkbook if you are smart on player and management recruitment.
Manchester City takes anti -aircraft weather for losing Wembley – their wing players did not risk the ball enough to feed Erling Haaland – but you can't exaggerate the work that Oliver Glasner has done with Palace.
I can't tell you how difficult it is to keep a team that has been disciplined and focused for 90 minutes. Creative players such as Ebereechi Eze want to express themselves. When they are tracing as much work and staying in shape as staying on the ball, it's about belief in the coach.
Palace was so well drilled that everyone knew their job, even after Captain Marc Guehi was deducted. Many larger clubs will now watch Glasner, but let's allow Palace to celebrate before they think about it!
As for the palace players, signed for fractions of what has been spent at Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge, it shows that you do not need hundreds of millions if you do your research well in the transfer market.
Credit is due to the departing sports director Dougie Freedman. Palace signed Daniel Munoz for £ 8.5 million, after he had sold Aaron Wan-Bissaka for £ 50 million. Munoz was enormously in defense and attack, the main reason why Jeremy Doku had trouble having any form of impact.
Munoz was able to play in every Premier League side. So Adam Wharton, who costs £ 23 million and that it is now worthwhile to be worth that now.
Last summer the Eagles Maxence Lacroix signed for £ 18 million, less than they received from Fulham for Joachim Andersen. Lacroix would be appreciated on double what Palace at least paid.
I could continue because I did not even mention Jean-Philippe Mateta (£ 15 million) or Eze (£ 17 million). It is no coincidence that clubs such as Palace, Brentford, Brighton and Bournemouth have settled in the Premier League by finding a winning formula in recruitment.
So the next time it is suggested by fans or managers that their club should break transfer records, it is an excuse not to identify the right players.
City did not play badly – they forced some good saves from Dean Henderson – although the fine they were awarded and missed was not justified.
But Haaland will be frustrated by the ball that does not enter the penalty area enough. There was a short period at the start of the second half when Savinho showed the intention, but that was all.
It is difficult to criticize the city in a certain sense, because their style brought them four competition titles, but now the broad men are not at the same level as Riyad Mahrez or Raheem Sterling, the obsession with possession at the expense of risking the ball to nourish the strikers, looks vulnerable.
It also did not help that the entire backs, Manuel Akanji and Nico O'Reilly, either are not used or not skillfully crossing.
Imagine that the Liverpool wing players were suppressed. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson would make a backup to hit quality balls in the box.
The large Manchester United team of the 90s was the same. If Ryan Giggs and David Beckham could not get crosses, they would set up Gary Neville and Denis Irwin. City did not have the same options and the brilliant organization of Palace excluded them.
My biggest take -away meals are set up on a defensive master class instead of City poorly picking their lines. It is great for English football that you can still find bargains and a relatively unknown manager – and lift the FA Cup.