Crystal Palace, known as the Eagles, have reached the FA Cup final three times in their history. As one of England’s oldest football clubs, Crystal Palace may not have won many trophies, but they have produced numerous legends who have set remarkable records for the club. In terms of the FA Cup, the Eagles have made it to the final on three occasions.
Unfortunately, they have yet to win the tournament, losing twice to Manchester United. Nevertheless, several former Palace players have still made their mark by scoring in the FA Cup finals at Wembley. Let’s take a closer look at those goal scorers for Crystal Palace in the competition’s biggest matches.
Gary O’Reilly (1990)
Manchester United and Crystal Palace clashed in the 1990 FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium in London. After extra time, the match ended in a thrilling 3–3 draw. For Palace, Gary O’Reilly and Ian Wright scored, while Bryan Robson and Mark Hughes found the net for Manchester United.
This was O’Reilly’s first-ever goal for Palace in a Wembley final. However, in the replay, Lee Martin’s goal secured a 1-0 win for Manchester United.
Ian Wright (1990)
Ian Wright became a Crystal Palace legend, especially after his goal in the 1990 FA Cup final against Manchester United helped Palace level the score. Remarkably, Wright had recently returned from a broken leg that had kept him out of the semi-final.
Following Gary O’Reilly’s opening goal, Wright was the second Palace player to score at Wembley in that final. Despite their efforts, Palace lost in the replay to Manchester United.
Jason Puncheon (2016)
Jason Puncheon came off the bench in the second half and scored from close range past Manchester United’s goalkeeper, David de Gea, giving Palace the lead. He became the third Palace player to score in an FA Cup final at Wembley, although Palace ultimately lost 2-1 to United.
Eberechi Eze (2025)
Since last season, Eberechi Eze has emerged as one of Crystal Palace’s key players. The forward has had a major impact, scoring several crucial goals that have shaped their results.
He became the fourth Palace player to score in a Wembley cup final when he netted against Manchester City, giving Palace a 1-0 lead and helping them secure the FA Cup title.
