Jack Grealish, Declan Rice react to Ben Chilwell as Crystal Palace smash Aston Villa
Ben Chilwell has taken to social media with a new message after Crystal Palace reached the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium.
Oliver Glasner‘s side are set to face Man City at Wembley on Saturday, 17 May, hoping not to be crowned runners-up for the third time in the club’s history after the 1989/90 and 2015/16 campaigns.
The Eagles swept aside Aston Villa with ease in the semi-finals, with Eberechi Eze opening the scoring after just 31 minutes, and Ismaila Sarr netting a brace to seal the victory in style.
Despite Unai Emery‘s side dominating possession in the clash, Palace took advantage of the counterattack, and the score could have been even more comfortable had Jean-Philippe Mateta tucked away his penalty or not had an early Eagles strike ruled out by Anthony Taylor.
While Chilwell is only on loan at Selhurst Park from Chelsea, he is clearly enjoying his time away from Stamford Bridge, but it remains to be seen whether the move will be made permanent or not.
Ben Chilwell loving life at Crystal Palace
Taking to Instagram (28 April), Chilwell shared a series of images and videos from his recent experiences, including Palace’s incredible victory at Wembley Stadium.
Teammates Adam Wharton, Mateta, and Daniel Munoz all liked the post, as did Man City’s exit-linked winger Jack Grealish and Arsenal star Declan Rice.
Oliver Glasner ready to create history at Wembley Stadium
Football Insider verdict
Glasner, who was under pressure at Palace just a few months ago, has completed a U-turn at Selhurst Park, with his side fighting for a top-half Premier League finish and now in the FA Cup final.
Of course, going up against Man City will be no easy challenge, but the club has proved its ability to battle hard against Pep Guardiola‘s side in recent seasons, scoring twice in each of their last four meetings.
| Manager | Games | Won | Drawn | Lost | Win % |
| Oliver Glasner | 56 | 26 | 15 | 15 | 46.4 |
There are concerns growing ahead of the summer transfer window, with Mateta’s performances linking him with a Palace exit, and it is a similar story with Wharton, Eze and Marc Guehi.
Winning the FA Cup and securing European football would be an incredible boost when it comes to keeping big names at Selhurst Park, but the owners will not be getting too far ahead of themselves.
In a wild turn of events, Glasner has even been involved in the Tottenham conversation to replace Ange Postecoglou, so it is vital that the Eagles make the most of what is left of the 2024/25 season.