FA Cup analysis: Five reasons why Crystal Palace dominated Aston Villa at Wembley

Crystal Palace will face Manchester City in the FA Cup final after both teams beat Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest respectively at the weekend.

Sports News Blitz Academy writer and Crystal Palace fan Max Snigorski, 15, was at Wembley to witness the Eagles’ resounding 3-0 win over Unai Emery’s Villans.

And here he outlines five reasons why he believes Palace were so dominant…

Sarr will tear you apart again

Ismaïla Sarr was unstoppable against Aston Villa picking up two goals and one assist for Eberechi Eze’s screamer to beat the ‘best goalkeeper in the world’ in the 31st minute.

However, this has been quite the norm for Sarr to haunt Villa’s left-backs now, racking up a total seven goals and assists, in only three starts against them.

Sarr’s blistering pace gave him a crucial advantage against an ageing Lucas Digne and a neglected Ian Maatsen.

The Senegalese international’s rapid acceleration played its part in all three goals. His unrivalled speed beat Digne before teeing up Eze for the first goal.

Palace’s second goal saw him dart into space before releasing a blinder into the bottom left corner.

Arguably, his best moment was beating Ezri Konsa from the halfway line to Eddie Nketiah’s weighted pass, before hammering the final nail in the coffin.

Glasner has Emery’s number

Super Oli Glasner has found his prey since his move to the Premier League on February 19, 2024.

There have now been five games between the two foreign managers, with Glasner picking up four wins and one draw including a 5-0 demolition of the Villans at Selhurst Park.

Wembley saw the same story repeat itself on Saturday due to Glasner’s tactical genius.

The Crystal Palace boss is notorious for his high pressing and fluid counter-attacking style of play, which he was able to maximise - with Daichi Kamada’s aggression and Adam Wharton’s incredible ability to break up play proving pivotal for the Eagles’ second goal.

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A no-show from Villa on the day (fans and players)

It was a historic day for the Eagles and the contrast on and off the pitch proved it; Palace were first to most duels, playing with aggression and seemed hungry to rebook their place under the arch of Wembley Stadium.

It was clear to see the fans were pushing the players to Antony Taylor’s final whistle.

From the pitchside, to the back walls of Wembley, Crystal Palace’s West side of the stadium was electric.

Uncharacteristically, the Claret and Blue were also outperformed off the pitch and in the stands.

Usually known for getting behind their team and silencing all crowds, the Villa fans were not heard for the majority of the game.

Eze’s on fire

Despite having a slow start to Crystal Palace’s awful early Premier League campaign, Eze is once again showing why he is so feared amongst the league’s elite.

The creative midfielder left Martinez helpless with a stunning goal that kickstarted the Eagle’s extermination of the Villans.

Not only did he contribute on the scoreline, the England international won a penalty for Palace and always looked a threat floating around the left flank.

Eze was also key in the quarter-finals, with one fantastic goal to shock Bernd Leno, and showed sublime skill to assist Sarr to ruin Fulham’s hopes of playing under the arch this season.

Owning the midfield

Palace fans were left in uncertainty by the selection of Kamada pairing Wharton rather than a familiar duo of Wharton and Will Hughes, but Glasner’s choice did not backfire; the two midfielders were dominant against Tielemans and Kamara, forcing an error leading to a goal and a foul leading to a penalty respectively.

Not only were they dominant physically but they stuck to orders, stayed extremely compact and let little to nothing through the middle of the park.

Wharton is known for his deep playmaking skills and he showed why on one of the biggest English stages, with 70% of his ground duels won and three passes into the final third. Kamada’s best game in red and blue was undoubtedly on Saturday, with a 90% passing accuracy rate and four passes into the final third.

Glasner's two central midfielders were crucial in securing a spot in the final - where they now face the ultimate test against Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering Man City troops.

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