Their heroic fine-saving keeper should never have been on the field.
They were played for the vast majority of the competition and enjoyed little more than 20 percent of the possession.
But to be honest, who outside the blue half of Manchester Cares?
Because the Triumph of Crystal Palace was a classic FA Cup final underdog story in one of the most exciting and incident-packed finals in years.
The early strike of Ebereechi Eze caused the first major trophy in their long history and a place in the Europa League, their first serious taste of European competition.
Keeper Dean Henderson dismissed Omar Marmoush's fine, just a few minutes after he had to be sent away to handle the ball outside the box to rob the ball.
An extraordinary blunder from VAR Michael Salisbury allowed Henderson to stay on the field and the keeper fully benefited from his postponement with a series of fine rescues.
And while the red-and-blue army from the southern river sang their hearts, the men of Oliver Glasner defended with goal and passion to deny Pep Guardiola's fallen four-in-one-row champion their last remaining chance of large silverware this season.
Kevin De Bruyne's Wembley Swansong fell flat when City simply had no more ideas.
But Palace played with a sense of destination. After 120 years in the professional game, and with the club that claims to exist since 1861, their time had finally come.
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This is a seriously good palace, which has been excellent form in the last six months, after a gloomy start to the season.
Their defense is excellent, midfielder Adam Wharton is a serious professional, Wing-Back Daniel Munoz is often unplayable and the flying front free from Eze, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Ismaila Sarr are a counter-attack Tour de Force.
The structure before the competition was literally overshadowed by the pyrotechnics of the palace, which added a sharp scent while the band of the Royal Marines came to God Save the King.
There was a lot of Royalty Palace around – Prince William, Sir Gareth Southgate and Roy Hodgson among them.
City fans had unraveled a few banners who De Bruyne Groeven -and Guardiola even had the decency to select him the starting line -up, something he often did not do for big competitions, even when the Belgian was in his splendor.
It was an attacking line-up from Guardiola with semi-final man-of-the-match Mateo Kovacic injured, Rodri still out and Nico Gonzalez on the couch there was no clear midield anchor man.
Within three minutes, the cross of De Bruyne was choosing Haaland at the rear stick, Henderson boomed his volley for his first excellent rescue of the afternoon.
After Josko Gvardiol's header had forced a considerable stop, City had 88 percent in the opening quarter of one hour.
And then Palace scored on their first serious attack.
Chris Richards played a long ball in the middle circle where Mateta held him up, exchanged Pass with Sarr and then established Daniel Munoz, on the right.
The wing-back centered to Eze to come for Manuel Akanji and send a low volley along Stefan Ortega.
Before the kick -off, the Palace fans had unraveled a banner who will shake “Wembley … it will be nice.”
They were faithful to their word – it did and that was it.
Munoz, the Colombian with lungs the size of playing football, quickly stuck the flank off again for a SARR shot that blocked Ortega.
Then that moment came from furious controversy when Haaland stormed forward and Henderson went to the edge of his box to scoop the ball away from the foot of the Norwegian.
VAR quickly did his bewildering thing. Henderson had clearly dealt with the frameworks, but Michael Salisbury decided that the sight of Haaland on the goal, on the edge of the area, was not a goal option.
It is not an opinion that many opposition fever or coaches would share.
Salisbury's decision was based on the fact that Haaland ended from the goal. Ignoring the fact that he would have changed direction and probably had scored if Henderson had not treated it.
But because VAR cannot grant free kicks and yellow cards, a clear injustice should be.
It felt enormously predictable that Henderson's postponement was expensive for the city and was embarrassing for the competition officials.
Tyrick Mitchell delved into Bernardo Silva and Attwell pointed to the place.
But Haaland, who had missed three of his last six Spotkicks, made way for Marmoush, whose shot was saved brilliantly by Henderson, diving low at his right before he smothered the continuation of Haaland.
Then Jeremy Doku cut from the left and a curly shot had brilliantly saved by the man who should not have been in the goal of the palace.
After the break City attacked with vengeful intention – Haaland and Doku both went close again.
But it was Palace that it just thought, although it did not count.
A long throw caused chaos in the city box and the shot of Munoz took a few deflections – one of them from SARR, before it was wriggling of Ortega and allowed Munoz to shoot inside and poke over the line.
This time, however, Salisbury did his work and some manic festivals were demolished.
During the VAR check, a fight broke out between the two benches.
City had all the possession, but Palace defended as if he were possessed by a demonic feeling of goal.
Nico O'Reilly had a clear view of the goal, but decided not to shoot, then Guardiola Phil Foden and Argentinian debutant Claudio Echeverri sent.
And it was Echeverri who forced the next fine from Henderson, a block of point-white range of injury was called for ten minutes of injury time. The longest ten minutes of the life of each palace.