Palace secure Premier League promotion
Kevin Phillips grabbed the golden goal to fire Crystal Palace into the Barclays Premier League and end his play-off final hoodoo with an extra-time 1-0 victory.
The striker, who turns 40 in the summer, kept his nerve to blast in a penalty and dash his former club Watford's dreams of promotion. It was a special moment for Phillips, who had lost all three of his previous play-off finals.
It was special too for Palace chairman Steve Parish and his co-owners, who saved the club from going bust three years ago and can now look forward to a windfall in the region of £120million. Those high stakes seemed to overwhelm Watford, whose key performers this season simply did not show up at Wembley.
The Championship's player of the year Matej Vydra endured a miserable first half and limped off at half-time. Instead it was Wilfried Zaha who caught the eye throughout, and he lured Marco Cassetti into the clumsy lunge which ultimately settled the match in the 104th minute.
Zaha created Palace's only chance of the first half with a scintillating run down the right, leaving Nathaniel Chalobah and Cassetti chasing shadows before pulling the ball back to Owen Garvan, whose shot was blocked. Troy Deeney crossed to no-one when he should have shot, before Vydra was denied by a superb last-ditch tackle from Damien Delaney on the edge of the area.
Injuries did not help the flow of the game either - Palace midfielder Kagisho Dikgacoi succumbed to a calf problem early on and Vydra spent most of the first half limping around before failing to emerge for the second.
It took almost an hour for the first shot on target to be registered, and Alex Geijo's grass-cutter did not pose Palace goalkeeper Julian Speroni any problems. Palace did create a clear opening moments later but unfortunately it fell to Aaron Wilbraham. The striker did not look confident as he bore down on goal and, having opted to turn back inside rather than shoot early, the opportunity disappeared.
Zaha went on another mazy run before playing in Stuart O'Keefe, whose shot was saved by Manuel Almunia. The former Arsenal stopper, having spent the first half as a virtual spectator, was now keeping his side in the match with fine saves from Garvan, Wilbraham and Mile Jedinak.
The breakthrough came when Cassetti, by now dizzy having been twisted and turned by Zaha yet again, brought the winger down in the area. Referee Martin Atkinson pointed to the spot and Phillips crashed the penalty high into the net.
The drama did not end there with Joel Ward clearing Fernando Forestieri's shot off the line in stoppage time. But it was Zaha, Phillips and Palace manager Ian Holloway who were celebrating moments later as the Eagles secured their return to the top flight after an eight-year absence.
