'This is the year of the underdog - and I love it!'

First Newcastle, now Crystal Palace. As I said connected BBC One aft Saturday's FA Cup final, 2025 is nan twelvemonth of nan underdog - and I emotion it!

I cognize precisely really nan Palace fans felt aft seeing their broadside hit Manchester City, because I was location myself only a fewer weeks agone erstwhile Newcastle won nan Carabao Cup final.

Like them, I had waited my full life to spot my squad triumph a awesome trophy. For Palace supporters this is their first portion of silverware successful their history and, from wherever I was doing my co-commentary astatine Wembley, I could show really overmuch it meant to them.

They reminded maine of nan Newcastle fans pinch nan measurement they roared their squad connected from nan infinitesimal they sewage into nan ground. For astir of nan crippled they drowned nan City supporters out, and I went done each emotion pinch them during nan 90 minutes, and particularly beyond.

You could spot nan agony connected their faces erstwhile nan committee went up to show location would beryllium 10 minutes of stoppage time, and erstwhile I looked astir I saw everyone pinch their caput successful their hands - nan aforesaid measurement I was erstwhile I was waiting for nan last whistle successful nan aforesaid stadium against Liverpool.

I saw nan joyousness and nan tears afterwards too, erstwhile nan celebrations were conscionable getting started. A batch of them will person sore heads connected Sunday and Monday, and I don't blasted them 1 bit.

They knew they had a portion to play if their squad was going to hit City, and they did it - it was a awesome capacity by Palace's players, but their fans were sensational too.

Now this is their infinitesimal and they should perfectly make nan astir of it - I cognize I did erstwhile it was yet Newcastle's move to triumph something.

Usually you spot a squad assistance a trophy and you inquire 'what next?', but - isolated from enjoying European shot for nan first clip adjacent play - nan only point Palace should beryllium looking guardant to correct now is Tuesday's location crippled against Wolves, because location is going to beryllium 1 heck of a statement astatine Selhurst Park.

They will person to determine who they sell, aliases keep, successful nan summertime because they person sewage immoderate very talented players who different clubs whitethorn effort to sign, but that's not thing they request to deliberation astir now.

Instead, everyone connected to nan nine tin simply revel successful nan glory of being FA Cup winners for nan first time. It's an astonishing achievement.

There were truthful galore awesome individual performances from nan Palace players, and I thought they were nan amended squad too. They deserved their win, and they surely gave everything to get it.

Whether it was blocking shots, crosses aliases passes, they each put their bodies connected nan line. There were truthful galore times wherever they had two, 3 aliases moreover 4 men throwing themselves successful nan measurement successful desperation, doing immoderate they could to make a difference, and their determination to extremity City was superb to watch.

Palace seemed to triumph each tackle, and it was getting nan amended of each those abstracted battles that sewage nan squad complete nan statement successful nan end.

I don't deliberation you tin put Palace's triumph down to immoderate 1 thing, but they had that difficult activity allied pinch a gameplan that worked - they were happy to fto City person nan ball, take sides heavy and past effort to deed them connected nan break.

To triumph nan FA Cup you ever request a spot of luck too, and possibly they sewage that pinch nan determination not to nonstop disconnected goalkeeper Dean Henderson for his handball extracurricular his container erstwhile Erling Haaland ran done successful nan first half.

They sewage distant pinch 1 there, because if I americium a City subordinate past I want that to beryllium a reddish paper and it astir apt should person been, but location was nary luck astir nan saves Henderson made, including Omar Marmoush's penalty, and he was different of their heroes.

When City look backmost astatine what they could person done otherwise connected Saturday, they will deliberation a batch astir that punishment and who should person taken it.

Pep Guardiola beautiful overmuch confirmed successful his post-match question and reply that it was nan players' work to benignant it out, but I americium still amazed that Erling Haaland decided to springiness up a punishment successful an FA Cup final.

Haaland has missed 3 penalties already this play and is only conscionable backmost from injury, but he has still scored 30 goals successful each competitions. If I americium successful his shoes, I americium taking that punishment each time.

What made nan business moreover much fascinating was proceeding Henderson talking aft nan game. While he evidently knew precisely wherever Marmoush was going to put his penalty, he said if Haaland had taken it he didn't person a hint which measurement he was going from nan spot.

That was evidently City's large opportunity to level, but aft that I don't deliberation they really did capable to get thing retired of nan game.

Nico O'Reilly did person a decent chance earlier nan extremity and he could person changeable earlier, but alternatively he chose to trim backmost connected to his near ft and was crowded out.

Other than that, they had each nan ball, of course, successful nan 2nd half but they did not really move nan Palace defence astir enough, aliases unfastened them up astatine each contempt each that pressure.

City request to get complete this disappointment quickly because they person sewage a monolithic Premier League crippled against Bournemouth connected Tuesday.

As things guidelines they are successful sixth spot and retired of nan Champions League places, truthful they really request to triumph it - successful effect, it's different cup last for them.

Whether they decorativeness successful nan apical 5 aliases not, however, I tin spot location being a large turnover of players successful Pep's squad complete nan summer.

We cognize Kevin de Bruyne is leaving and nan penning appears to beryllium connected nan wall for Jack Grealish arsenic good - Guardiola preferred to bring a young kid, Claudio Echeverri, disconnected nan chair for his debut erstwhile he was hopeless for a extremity against Palace, alternatively than nonstop connected Grealish, a £100m player.

There could beryllium a batch of different changes too, and location has to beryllium really. This City squad has been astonishing but they person travel to nan extremity of their play of power and immoderate caller faces are needed to get them challenging for nan Premier League title again.

Even if they walk large and bring a fewer players in, I americium not judge whether they tin get backmost to nan levels they reached nether Guardiola successful nan past fewer seasons, erstwhile they were nan outstanding squad successful nan country.

But immoderate benignant of betterment is intelligibly needed. Considering nan heights they person hit, for them to beryllium successful sixth spot pinch 2 games to spell and without a trophy for nan first clip since 2016-17 has already made this a very mediocre play by their precocious standards.

Alan Shearer was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan astatine Wembley.