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      Moment bold Arsenal fan bombarded with X-rated chant from Spurs supporters after strolling around Bilbao in Gunners kit

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      AN ARSENAL fan received a torrent of abuse after walking through Tottenham fans in Bilbao wearing a Gunners shirt.Spurs supporters have taken over the Spanish city in preparation for the Europa League final.A brave Arsenal fan walked through a crowd of Spurs supporters in BilbaoCredit: InstagramHe received plenty of abuse from rival fansCredit: InstagramThousands are in Bilbao, many without tickets, and there is a party atmosphere with songs being sung and flares being set off.One brave Arsenal fan decided to have some fun with a contingent of Tottenham fans, brazenly strolling through a crowd with an Gunners shirt on.The Spurs fans reacted by abusing the supporter, singing: “W*****! W*****!W*****!”Up to 70,000 United and Tottenham fans have flooded the streets of sunny Bilbao and nearby San Sebastian.READ MORE IN ARSENALBut scenes turned sour in some areas as supporters clashed.A large group of football hooligans were seen brawling with objects and punches thrown.Witnesses say the fight broke out when two large groups of supporters began shouting and hurling insults.It quickly escalated into a full-blown brawl, with both United and Spurs fans grabbing whatever they could to throw at each other.Most read in Europa LeagueBEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERSMan Utd vs Spurs – Europa League final: Kick-off time, TV channel and live stream info for Bilbao clashOne hooligan overturned a terrace table and used it as a weapon against the other group.Drinks and bins were also hurled, creating a chaotic scene that posed a serious risk to local businesses and passersby.BATTLE FOR BILBAO: The Road to the Europa League FinalSeveral local police patrols rushed to the scene after reports of the brawl and quickly restored order. More

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      in Boxing

      Mike Balogun is the former NFL star who knocked out the son of a heavyweight legend and now faces Brit star Moses Itauma

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      MIKE BALOGUN is the former NFL star-turned-heavyweight boxer daring to take out feared Brit Moses Itauma. Itauma is only 20 years old and 11 bouts into his professional career but has struck fear into the division with nine brutal knockouts. Mike Balogun is the former NFL star-turned-heavyweight boxerCredit: GettyTrey Lippe McKenzie, son of ex-champ Tommy, and BalogunCredit: GettyBalogun faces Moses ItaumaCredit: GettyHe has even been dubbed the next Mike Tyson – who became the youngest heavyweight champion of all time aged 20. Finding willing opponents to put their reputation on the line against the youngster from London has proved to be Itauma’s toughest fight so far. But stepping up this Saturday in Scotland on Josh Taylor’s undercard is southpaw Balogun. The 6ft 1in American first made his name in the NFL, playing for the likes of the San Francisco 49ers, the Buffalo Bills and the Dallas Cowboys.READ MORE IN BOXINGBut his career as a linebacker came to an end in 2012 – by that time he had already trained in boxing as part of his American football regime. It was only after being released by the Virginia Destroyers that Balogun decided to cross over to professional boxing. He made his debut in 2014 and his career transformation was underway. Balogun’s biggest win to date came in 2021 when he knocked out Trey Lippe Morrison – son of the late former world champion Tommy. Most read in BoxingCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITSThe 41-year-old suffered his first and only defeat in 2023 to Murat Gassiev – who lost his cruiserweight titles to Oleksandr Usyk five years earlier. Balogun will come to the UK with nothing to lose meanwhile Itauma is tipped for greatness. Moses Itauma, 20, lined up for sensational world title fight against Oleksandr Usyk this yearHis promoter Frank Warren has already warned not to rule out a world title fight in the future with Usyk, 38. Meanwhile Martin Bakole, 31, and Filip Hrgovic, 32, are two others on Itauma’s radar. Warren told BoxNation: “Billy Nelson (trainer of Bakole) sent me a text about him making the fight at the end of the year or next year.“Moses is not sitting around waiting for him, is he? He’s gonna get on with his business and who knows, I would expect by the end of this year for Moses to have at least another three fights. “I haven’t got to drum up Bakole in my job, I’m in the Moses Itauma business and that’s all I care about.  “I think that’s [Itauma and Hrgovic] also a good fight to make. I wouldn’t have a problem doing that sometime this year.”Itauma is tipped for greatness in the heavyweight divisionCredit: PA More

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      ‘I will quit’ – Pep Guardiola gives Man City ultimatum over squad issue that is ‘impossible for my soul’

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      PEP GUARDIOLA has vowed to leave Manchester City if they do not trim their squad this summer.Going into next month’s revamped Club World Cup, City have endured their first trophyless season since 2016-17, Guardiola’s first at the Etihad.Pep Guardiola believes that his squad his too bloatedCredit: ReutersCity waved goodbye to Kevin De Bruyne last nightCredit: ReutersLast night the Etihad Stadium said a fond farewell to club legend Kevin De Bruyne as the Belgian played his last home game for City.Guardiola has admitted that he wants more exits to follow this summer as he prefers to work with a more streamlined squad.Following last night’s 3-1 win over Bournemouth, the 54-year-old admitted: “I said to the club I don’t want that [a bigger squad].”I don’t want to leave five or six players in the freezer. I don’t want that. I will quit. Make a shorter squad, I will stay.READ MORE IN FOOTBALL”It’s impossible for my soul to [tell] my players in the tribune [stands] that they cannot play.”Having all arrived at City in the last 12 months, Savinho, Abdukodir Khusanov, Claudio Echeverri and Vitor Reis all failed to make last night’s matchday squad.Highly thought of academy products Rico Lewis and James McAtee also missed out.Man City’s official website lists 28 first team players, in addition to Kyle Walker, Kalvin Phillips, Joshua Wilson-Esbrand and Maximo Perrone out on loan.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITSBernardo Silva could be on the way out this summerCredit: GettyJack Grealish has endured a disappointing seasonCredit: GettyOn City’s bloated squad, Guardiola added: “Maybe [for] three, four months we couldn’t select 11 players, we didn’t have defenders, it was so difficult. After, people came back, but next season it cannot be like that.”As a manager I cannot train 24 players and every time I select I have to have four, five, six stay in Manchester at home because they cannot play. Kevin De Bruyne given emotional Etihad send off as Man City take huge leap towards return to Champions League”This is not going to happen. I said to the club, I don’t want that.”Guardiola signed a contract extension to 2027 last November.City have been boosted by recent returns for long-term absentees Rodri and Oscar Bobb.By way of comparison, Manchester United’s squad also lists 28 players, Chelsea’s 31 and Liverpool’s just 24.Nine members of Guardiola’s first team squad are in their 30s; Ederson, Stefan Ortega, Scott Carson, Nathan Ake, John Stones, De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, Mateo Kovacic and Bernardo Silva.Jack Grealish and Manuel Akanji, meanwhile, will turn 30 in the next few months.Read More on The SunCity have spent around £200million on transfers this season, and can be expected to splash out more this summer.Last year’s Prem champions have been linked with Lyon starlet Rayan Cherki, but have reportedly pulled out of the race to sign Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz.Kyle Walker was loaned out to AC Milan in JanuaryCredit: Getty More

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      Cristiano Ronaldo, 40, ‘discovers his biological age’ before claiming he’ll play for another TEN years

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      CRISTIANO RONALDO has discovered his “biological age” after undergoing specialist tests by a fitness tracking company.At the age of 40, many would think that Ronaldo would have one eye on retirement before the rigours of football catch up to him.Cristiano Ronaldo has declared he will play until he is 50Credit: GettyRonaldo was revealed to be 11 years younger than his real ageCredit: Instagram / @cristianoHowever, the Al-Nassr ace has discovered he is physiologically 11 years younger following tests done by “Whoop”.They are a technology company specialising in fitness trackers and health monitoring devices, for which Ronaldo is an ambassador.Tests done by the company include measuring physiological data such as heart rate and heart rate variability which are then used to give users information about their effort, recovery and sleep.Speaking on the Whoop podcast, the football icon revealed the results of tests he had done with them to discover his “biological age” compared to his real age.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLAnd it revealed he was in fact 28.9 years old, making him 11 years younger than he really is.On his appearance he said: “I can’t believe it’s so good. 28.9.”Following the revelation, Ronaldo then declared: “This means I’ll play football for another ten years.”That declaration – with a career where he has already played more than 1,000 games in professional football, scoring 792 goals – means he would be playing until he is 50.Most read in FootballBEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UKHis illustrious career includes stints with boyhood club Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus and current side Al-Nassr.And he has a stunning trophy cabinet to match featuring five Ballon d’Or, five Champions Leagues, seven league titles and four Club World Cup trophies.Cristiano Ronaldo Jr, 14, given dad’s number and copies iconic pose as he makes Portugal debut with grandma watchingInside Cristiano Ronaldo’s incredible lifeAS arguably the greatest player of all time, Cristiano Ronaldo lives a life befitting such a superstar. More

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      in Boxing

      Josh Taylor open to exhibition with returning Manny Pacquiao, 46, having named his late DOG after boxing great

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      JOSH TAYLOR is open to sharing the ring with Manny Pacquiao – having named his late DOG after the boxing hero. The Filipino great is on the verge of announcing a shock comeback aged 46 to fight WBC welterweight world champion Mario Barrios. Josh Taylor with his his late dog MannyTaylor got his dog tattooed on him following Manny’s passingManny Pacquiao is back in training for a comebackPacquiao was once a dream bout for Taylor – who named his pet Staffordshire Bull Terrier after PacMan. Sadly, Taylor’s Staffie passed away in 2020 but he commemorated his beloved dog with a tattoo on his thigh. And he would also be ready to honour Pacquiao in the form of an exhibition bout. Taylor told The Herald: “Listen, I would absolutely give my left foot to share a ring with my hero. It would be absolutely amazing. READ MORE IN BOXING”But as a competitive fight, I don’t think I would want it. What’s in it really for me is a lose-lose. “If I go in there and I win, I’ve beaten up a 46-year-old Manny Pacquiao. Or if I go in there and I lose, I’ve lost to a 46-year-old Manny Pacquiao. “So, it’s a lose-lose situation. But in terms of just going in there and doing an exhibition, just sharing the same ring with my hero, would be absolutely fantastic.”Pacquiao retired in 2021 after defeat to Yordenis Ugas but following a failed presidential campaign in the Philippines he is returning to boxing. Most read in BoxingCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITSAnd he was controversially slotted fifth in the WBC rankings – despite not winning a fight for six years. Taylor also now moves up to welterweight after dropping his 140lb WBO title to Teofimo Lopez in 2023 before losing his rematch to Jack Catterall last May. Josh Taylor reveals his toughest ever fight that left him peeing BLOOD for five days and unable to walkThe Scot faces former British champion Ekow Essuman, 36, up at 147lb on Saturday in Glasgow with the WBO European belt at stake. Taylor said: “It’s good because it gives me a title, which then gives me a ranking on the world scene. “But at this point in my career I’m just thinking one fight at a time. I made that mistake in the lead-up to the [first] Jack Catterall fight, looking at what was going to be after it. “And I almost paid the price for it. So I’m not making that mistake again. I know there won’t be a shortage of options moving up and moving forward at welterweight.“I’m only 34. I didn’t turn pro until I was 25, you know? So it’s not like I’ve been pro since I was 16 or 17 and been in loads and loads of wars. I’m still fresh.”Taylor steps up to welterweight to fight Ekow EssumanCredit: Queensberry Promotions More

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      Former Premier League club closing in on return to EFL despite finishing 23 POINTS behind play-off opponents

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      FORMER Premier League side Oldham Athletic are on the cusp of an EFL return after a thumping 3-0 victory at York City.They became the first team to have competed in the Prem, of which they were a founding club, to drop into non-league when their 115-year stay in the EFL ended in 2022.Oldham are nearing an EFL return after years in the wildernessCredit: Shutterstock EditorialThey thumped York City 3-0 to seal their spot at WembleyCredit: Shutterstock EditorialFans invaded the pitch as the goals flew inCredit: X/ DAZN_NationalLgThey also flooded the field after full-timeCredit: The SunNow Micky Mellon’s side are only one game away from League Two after booking their place at Wembley for the National League play-off final on June 1.Only 24 hours earlier York boss Adam Hinshelwood, whose team finished second on 96 points, a whopping 23 ahead of Oldham, was celebrating his son Jack scoring the winner for Brighton over Liverpool.But he was brought back down to earth with a bang as they suffered heartbreak on home turf.York gifted Mellon’s men the lead when goalie Harrison Male’s poor pass to Alex Hunt was pounced on by Joe Garner, and the veteran drilled home from outside the box. READ MORE IN FOOTBALLVimal Yoganathan left the hosts with a mountain to climb with a low strike shortly after half time.And moments later Oldham stuck another dagger through the heart of the Minstermen.Joe Pritchard made it three with a near-post header to spark a pitch invasion from the away end.It is now back to the drawing board for Hinshelwood and his shell-shocked squad.Most read in EFLBEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERSThough Mellon, chasing a sixth promotion as a manager, and Oldham can start planning for their crunch trip to the capital.They’ll face the winners of Wednesday’s showdown between Forest Green Rovers and Southend United.Burnley pitch invasion marred by unsavoury scenes as Sheffield United star Hamza Choudhury is held back by securityBoth their meetings this season ended 2-2.But something will finally have to give in their biggest game of the campaign so far. More

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      in Soccer

      Man Utd v Spurs Europa League final is the worst but most intriguing showpiece match European football has ever known

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      YOU can label it with whichever mocking moniker you wish.Hell Clasico? The Donkey Derby? The clash of the Sh**e ’uns?Manchester United and Spurs have endured a miserable season – but find themselves in the Europa finalCredit: GettyRuben Amorim is expected to remain in post next season at Old TraffordCredit: AlamyBut Ange Postecoglou might not be so lucky, even if he ends Spurs’ trophy droughtCredit: GettyOr, as one genius headline writer on this newspaper put it, ‘Bilbao Bobbins’.But tonight will bring us a cup final like no other.The worst, the most illogical and yet the most intriguing, showpiece match European football has ever known.Even if Ange Postecoglou wins the Europa League, he is still set to be sacked. If Ruben Amorim loses, he will probably survive.READ MORE ON FOOTBALLAnd yet when the ‘glory, glory’ boys of Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur face off here in the Basque Country tonight, the stakes will be skyscraping.Champions League football for the winners, oblivion for the losers.Because, here are two of the five worst sides in the Premier League, two finalists who have FORTY-FOUR defeats between them in all competitions this season, vying for one of football’s great prizes.While the magic 40-point barrier used to be a guarantee of Premier League survival, either Spurs or United will secure a place in the European elite tonight without having even reached it.Most read in FootballBEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UKBut rather than try to belittle this match by claiming that the winners do not deserve Champions League qualification — as Arsene Wenger and plenty of others have done — we should be celebrating it.Unpredictability is what makes knockout football special. The best team in the land always wins the title. But underdogs can win cups.Man Utd & Spurs fans get Europa League final party started in Basque city Bilbao after mad dash on planes & 35hr ferriesAnd even though these are two filthy-rich ‘Big Six’ underdogs, they have been playing like lowdown mongrels all season long.United wouldn’t even have qualified for the Europa League had it not been for the toenail VAR offside call which denied Coventry City a ridiculous 4-3 comeback victory in last season’s FA Cup semi-final.But so what? Cup football can be gloriously silly. That’s kind of the point.It certainly hasn’t stopped tens of thousands of fans travelling on trains, in-direct planes, automobiles and ferries — invading Bilbao by air, land and sea to be at Estadio de San Mames tonight.The logistics make getting here seem like a mix between the BBC’s Race Across the World and Hanna-Barbera’s Wacky Races.But trophies make memories.Man Utd vs Spurs – Europa League final: Kick-off time, TV channel and live stream info for Bilbao clashNewcastle fans will remember this season for winning the  Carabao Cup for far longer than they will recall finishing third or fourth in the league.Supporters of United, and especially those of Spurs, would cherish this night if their team wins.You can make a strong case for either side to prevail. Spurs seem to have United’s number – winning all three of their previous meetings this season.And if you believe in omens, that this is a year for drought-busting — after Crystal Palace won their first-ever major silverware and Newcastle ended a 70-year wait — then why not a first trophy in 17 years for Spurs?Yet United, for all their Muppetry in the league, boast the recent trophy-winning experience.They lifted last season’s FA Cup, as well as the Carabao Cup the previous year, under former boss Erik ten Hag — a man whose stock seems to rise after every match Amorim takes charge of.Man Utd vs Spurs – Europa League final: Kick-off time, TV channel and live stream info for Bilbao clashIn Bruno Fernandes, United have the final’s best player, while Spurs’ chief creative influences – James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski – miss out through injury.And if we’re going with omens again, then Jose Mourinho won his first European trophy on this day, May 21, 2003, at the age of 40 years, three months and 24 days.His fellow Portuguese, Amorim, is just one day younger.But frankly, who knows, when the form book reads like this: United two points from their last eight Premier League games; Tottenham five points from their last 11.Tottenham have not even reached the magic 40-point barrier in the Premier LeagueCredit: GettyFor months now, both teams have been turning it on for Thursday nights and tossing it off on Sunday afternoons.United’s route to Bilbao has been tougher, their semi-final thrashing of the final’s hosts Athletic Club, was particularly impressive, while their quarter-final comeback victory over Lyon was surely the most astonishing game of football played this season.Tottenham’s defeat of 2022 champs Eintracht Frankfurt was their one genuinely remarkable scalp.It might be argued that this match is proof of the Premier League’s depth, when its 16th and 17th-placed clubs are contesting a European final.But there has been no English winner of the Europa League since Maurizio Sarri’s Chelsea defeated Unai Emery’s Arsenal in 2019 — when two managers enduring brief reigns in London met in Azerbaijan for another final billed as a scrap between two average teams.Yet Chelsea and Arsenal finished third and fifth respectively that season.That final had nothing on this one.The Europa League has become more logical, more pure, this  season, now that clubs from the Champions League no longer parachute into its knockout phase.It has also become easier to win — under the old format, Manchester City, Juventus, Monaco and Sporting Lisbon would have plunged into this competition.But nobody will remember any of that in years to come.Man Utd vs Spurs – Europa League final: Kick-off time, TV channel and live stream info for Bilbao clashThis is win-or-bust, death-or-glory, with Champions League qualification swelling coffers and making either club an instantly more desirable summer destination for new players.Big Ange says he ‘always wins a trophy’ in his second season but, then again, none of his previous second seasons were at Spurs.Amorim says this could be ‘the worst United team in history’ and yet their Europa League run, like last season’s FA Cup progression, has conjured up some impossible victories, as if, no matter how bad they are, there is still a strange kind of magic deep within the club.Read More on The SunSo for what it’s worth, here’s a prediction of sorts: United to equalise in the final minute of extra-time through makeshift centre-forward Harry Maguire.And then the longest penalty shootout in the history of European football, in which at least 40 consecutive spot-kicks are missed… More

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      Crystal Palace 4 Wolves 2: Eddie Nketiah steps up as Mateta’s understudy as Selhurst Park puts on FA Cup after-party

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      SELHURST PARK put on an almighty FA Cup after-party as Crystal Palace brushed aside Wolves and made more history.After winning the first trophy in the club’s history only 72 hours earlier, Oliver Glasner claimed another record by taking the Eagles past 50 points in the Premier League for the first time.Eddie Nketiah stepped up as Crystal Palace smashed Wolves 4-2Credit: ReutersThe Eagles got the FA Cup party going at Selhurst ParkCredit: GettyEddie Nketiah’s brace and Ben Chilwell’s first goal for the club, as well as another for Eberechi Eze, saw them past Wolves despite what must have been a few days of well-deserved celebrations.The result was another thing to celebrate, though this night had little to do with the actual football.Eagles fans had celebrated loud and proud under the Wembley arch, and now got to do it all over again.No one likes the fact that the Cup final was not the final game of the domestic season – but an evening like this is a persuasive argument for having it earlier.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLPalace will have a trophy parade in south London on Monday, but this was a proper party at their place.Fans arrived early – many still in a happy daze.They were streaming out of the club shop with their limited edition Cup winners shirts.Bumper match day programmes, with the FA Cup on the front and emotional words from Marc Guehi, Steve Parish and Glasner, were being snapped up alongside commemorative scarves.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERSParish, the chairman, gushed: “Saturday felt like a coming of age, the day we announced ourselves as a ‘proper football club’.”He was flanked in the stands by Mark Bright and former boss Alan Pardew, all with beaming smiles still fixed in place.How Crystal Palace outsmarted Man City in FA Cup finalSelhurst Park has long been the most atmospheric stadium in the capital, but it has rarely been this colourful and united, all four sides bouncing to their new ditty of “12th again, who gives a f***? We’ve won the FA Cup!”The Holmesdale End ran through the chants for each and every one of their Cup heroes – with the rest of the stadium following their lead.Red and blue balloons, as well as a few blow-up FA Cups, were tossed around the stands – where almost every fan had come in their colours.Substitutes were given huge ovations on their way to the dugout before Palace were led out by Ward, carrying his five-day old daughter, ahead of his final home game for the club.  Emmanuel Agbadou gave Wolves the leadCredit: PANketiah equalised just moments laterCredit: Shutterstock EditorialGlasner had tried to give the players as long as possible to celebrate Saturday’s triumph – not getting them back to prepare for this until Monday afternoon.He made seven changes, Guehi and Adam Wharton missing out with concussion injuries from the weekend and a couple of others on the bench likely still nursing sore heads for different reasons.For the most part it was easy to forget there was a game being played out in front of everyone.Selhurst sang about Saturday, about Glasner and their upcoming European tour.Nketiah bagged his second to put Palace aheadCredit: ReutersBen Chilwell then netted for his loan sideCredit: GettyThere was some football to enjoy along with the celebrations, however.Wolves took the lead through Emmanuel Agbadou, heading in after Jorgen Strand Larsen had nodded a corner across goal.Nketiah tried to clear but could not stop the ball before it had crossed the line.The Eagles No9 more than made up for that a moment later. The Wolves goal had not stopped the Palace party – but Nketiah took it up a notch.Jorgen Strand Larsen pulled one back for WolvesCredit: ReutersEbere Eze put the game to bed with a goal late onCredit: PASigned from Arsenal last summer, the striker had just one Premier League goal all season before tonight, but suddenly grabbed two in just five minutes.Nketiah first dispatched Romain Esse’s cutback with a well taken first-time finish before meeting an Ismaila Sarr cross six yards out – which came after some typically restless work from Daniel Munoz.There were still more feel-good stories after the break.Chilwell, a January signing from Chelsea, scored his first in red and blue when his free-kick took a heavy deflection off Agbadou in the Wolves wall and found the bottom corner.The result saw Palace reach 50 points in the Premier League for the first timeCredit: PAThe fans were in party mode after Oliver Glasner led them to FA Cup victoryCredit: AlamyWolves grabbed another back, Strand Larsen nodding in unmarked from Jean-Ricner Bellegarde’s corner and Dean Henderson put on another display of the heroics which had denied Manchester City, saving from Goncalo Guedes.No one was concerned whether Wolves would get level or not, but Eze made sure with a superb goal from the bench.Ward, who had collected a farewell card from the referee for a trip on Matheus Cunha, provided the most emotional moment of the night.Substituted in the 70th minute, the Eagles legend fell to his knees in the centre circle and could not stop the tears and neither could Parish watching from the stands.Read More on The SunThe right-back is departing after 13 years and could never have imagined he would do so to the sound of chants about him lifting the Cup.This was a night of celebration and saying goodbye, but another which showed Palace are going places. 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