Dean Henderson took center stage in Crystal Palace’s stunning upset against Manchester City. That climactic and riveting FA Cup final didn’t happen just anywhere, it happened in Wembley Stadium on Saturday. The save on Omar Marmoush’s penalty was the turning point. That save ensured Palace’s 1-0 win and took them to that historic first FA Cup trophy.
Henderson came through with a few dazzling goalkeeping feats. With only ten minutes remaining in the first half, he read Marmoush’s penalty spot on, producing a brilliant save. At that moment, Crystal Palace was up 1-0 after an early goal by Eberechi Eze. The atmosphere in the stadium shifted dramatically as Henderson’s teammates rallied around him following the save, celebrating a moment that would prove to be critical for the team’s success.
It was the young keeper’s experience that got him out of a sticky situation earlier in the game. In a critical moment, Henderson appeared to intentionally play the ball with his hands outside of his penalty box. On the other hand, Erling Haaland was sprinting towards goal. VAR looked back at the incident and chose to view it as not denying a goalscoring opportunity. As a result, Henderson was able to stay on the field and escaped a red card.
Henderson expressed his confidence in facing Marmoush’s penalty over Haaland’s potential shot, stating, “Haaland might have stepped up, I wasn’t sure which way he’d go. He gave it to Marmoush – I knew which way he was going. I knew I’d save it.” His self-assuredness came forth when discussing his history of keeping penalties to a minimum. He remembered diving to his right and making a match-winning save in the 2018 League One Play-off final for Shrewsbury Town.
Following Crystal Palace’s famous victory, Henderson celebrated the club’s victory with his comrades. The group-wide jubilation was evident as the players – many of them in disbelief – reveled in their surprise triumph against a star-studded Manchester City outfit. While handling questions about the VAR review of his earlier play with Haaland, Henderson nonchalantly shrugged off concerns, saying, “Who cares, it doesn’t matter. I am not bothered.”
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola acknowledged the decision to hand the penalty to Marmoush instead of allowing Haaland to take it. He said to me, ‘I figured he’d want to pick it up. He added that they had game-planned for all different situations going into the match during their team meetings leading up to the contest. As Guardiola explained, it was a matter of whom each player was comfortable with at that exact moment in time.
Henderson’s contributions throughout the match were instrumental in Crystal Palace’s victory. His willingness to act dramatically and decisively made him an indispensable player. Those claims won him awards from fans and analysts alike. The shot-stopping display has been a bread-and-butter example lauded as a revelation for his talent and command under pressure.
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