Gabriel Martinelli responded to his recent criticism by scoring a hat-trick for Arsenal in their 4-1 comeback win over Portsmouth to reach the FA Cup fourth round. Mikel Arteta’s side were, however, given an early scare by the Championship side as Colby Bishop slammed Pompey in front after just three minutes but his side were only behind for five minutes after an own goal from Andre Dozzell.
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Non-league Macclesfield produced one of the FA Cup’s most startling upsets when they beat holders Crystal Palace 2–1 in a third‑round thriller, knocking Oliver Glasner’s team out of the competition and sending the Moss Rose crowd into raptures. Captain Paul Dawson and Isaac Buckley-Ricketts struck in each half as the home side – coached by Wayne Rooney’s younger brother John – stunned Premier League side Palace, a team 117 places above them in England’s football pyramid.
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Crystal Palace won the first major trophy in the club’s history with victory against Manchester City in the FA Cup final at Wembley. Eberechi Eze was Palace’s hero when he crowned a superb counter-attack by sweeping home Daniel Munoz’s cross after 16 minutes. City, meanwhile, endured a day of total frustration as they failed to win a trophy in a season for the first time since manager Pep Guardiola’s first campaign in charge in 2016-17.
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Manchester City displayed their big-game experience by brushing aside a luckless Nottingham Forest to reach a third successive FA Cup final. Pep Guardiola’s side set up a Wembley showpiece on 17 May against Crystal Palace thanks to goals from Rico Lewis and Josko Gvardiol either side of half time at Wembley.
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Crystal Palace outplayed Aston Villa as they reached the FA Cup final for only the third time with two brilliant goals by Ismaila Sarr and another by Eberechi Eze sealing a 3-0 victory at Wembley on Saturday. 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.
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