Crystal Palace 2-1 Watford: Eagles book place in FA Cup final

Posted Monday, April 25, 2016 by Goal.com

Crystal Palace 2-1 Watford: Eagles book place in FA Cup final
Alan Pardew's charges will now play Manchester United in the showpiece event in May after Connor Wickham's second-half header downed the Hornets at Wembley on Sunday

Crystal Palace edged Watford 2-1 at Wembley to book an FA Cup final date with Manchester United and a revenge mission for Alan Pardew.

The Eagles will now go on to play United, who beat Everton in the other semi-final, in May in a repeat of the 1990 FA Cup final between the two sides when Pardew was on the losing end as a Palace player after a replay.

Palace took the lead after just six minutes through Yannick Bolasie, who stabbed home from close range after Damien Delaney flicked on a Yohan Cabaye corner.

Troy Deeney, Watford's two-goal match-winner at Selhurst Park in the Premier League earlier this season, responded 10 minutes after the interval, but Connor Wickham soon nodded Palace back ahead before Quique Sanchez Flores' side could even think about building on their goal.

Defeat against Palace will raise further questions about Flores' future at Watford, with reports suggesting the Hornets were already contemplating replacing him prior to how they got on in the FA Cup semi-finals.

And though Palace's league campaign fizzled into a somewhat fraught battle for survival, their season could yet end in glory at the national stadium against Louis van Gaal's United next month.

Watford's Cup goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon had already flapped under one corner when Cabaye's delivery was flicked on by Delaney and the totally unmarked Bolasie stooped to snatch an early lead after six minutes.

Palace's fans were sent into high-decibel raptures and their team immediately camped on the counter-attack, with Bolasie and Wilfried Zaha's pace a simmering threat.

Joel Ward almost turning into his own net was Watford’s best chance in the opening period before Flores was forced into a midfield change when Etienne Capoue suffered a knee injury and was replaced by Mario Suarez.

Palace were perhaps unlucky not to have been awarded a penalty when Zaha's cross struck the hand of Nathan Ake, but the referee waved away their protests.

Though the atmosphere inside Wembley remained at fever pitch, there was little to shout about as Watford failed to turn possession into penetration and Palace's final ball was lacking when they made tracks in wide areas.

Watford came out for the second half with added cutting edge, though, and they swiftly got back on level terms as the affair kicked into life.

Jose Manuel Jurado swung in a corner from the same flank that Palace had scored from as Deeney got ahead of Scott Dann to glance a header past a motionless Wayne Hennessey.

However, parity was maintained for less than six minutes as Wickham outmuscled Ake under a looping Pape Souare cross and steered his header into the corner.

Watford shook off their possession-focused shackles to charge forward in the final 10 minutes, but Odion Ighalo wastefully blazed over from inside the box and Hennessey was equal to Jurado's 25-yard snapshot.

Adlene Guedioura scuffed wide late on as Palace were able to hang on and celebrate victory at Wembley, just like did in the Championship play-off final between the sides in 2013.

Having seen his West Ham side lose the 2006 final against Liverpool, Pardew now has the chance to get his hands of the FA Cup once again when his charges lock horns with United.