A good two hours after the final whistle at Wembley, Crystal Palace staff were still bringing crates of beer into the dressing room, as the players started to emerge. Manager Oliver Glasner had already told them inside that he long ago felt this was a “special group”, who could do “impossible things”. This victory was certainly something that felt so agonisingly out of reach for the club for so long. As such, some of the players were just buzzing from the euphoria, others were joyfully refreshed. Match-winning star Eberechi Eze had a huge smile as he strode out, proudly displaying his winner's medal. Will Hughes was a few yards behind, bottle of Kopparberg in hand, singing the goalscorer’s name. Joel Ward, after what was one of his last games for the club, was displaying the FA Cup itself. Chairman Steve Parish was meanwhile with his young son, talking about what it means for everyone.
Some in the Palace contingent were by then able to admit the sheer terror they felt when the board showed 10 minutes stoppage time, and the idea that this could be an even closer and crueller way to lose it than in 1990 and 2016. That didn't happen. Oliver Glasner’s team stayed resolute, not letting anything through.
