Crystal Palace will face Manchester United in their first FA Cup final for 26 years after Connor Wickham sealed a 2-1 win over Watford at Wembley on Sunday.
Alan Pardew’s side swept into an early lead in the semi-final through Congo forward Yannick Bolasie before Watford’s Troy Deeney equalised soon after the interval.
Palace were the better team for long periods and Wickham settled it midway through the second half to give his club a chance to avenge their 1990 FA Cup final loss against United, who are looking to win the competition for the first time since 2004 after beating Everton on Saturday.
It was an especially sweet moment for Palace manager Pardew, who was a member of the team beaten by Alex Ferguson’s United in 1990 when Lee Martin scored the replay winner after the first match ended in a 3-3 draw.
Pardew has proved something of a good luck charm for Palace in the FA Cup, and he celebrated taking the club to only their second final in the competition 26 years after scoring the winner against Liverpool the last time the Londoners won a semi-final.
Watford’s failure to reach their first FA Cup final for 32 years will increase speculation about the future of manager Quique Sanchez Flores after reports poor form in 2016 could lead to his sacking after one season in charge.
More from FA Cup semi-finals:
Gallery: Anthony Martial fires Manchester United into FA Cup final with late winner against Everton
Analysis from Greg Lea: Rooney a central figure even as Martial powers Manchester United to FA Cup final
Poll: Should Louis van Gaal keep his job if Man United win FA Cup but miss out on top four?
After a superb first half of the season, Palace had plunged dramatically in 2016, with only one win from their last 18 league games.
But despite their struggles, Pardew’s men were enjoying their best FA Cup run for over two decades and they took just six minutes to seize the initiative.
Yohan Cabaye whipped a corner towards the near post where Damien Delaney flicked a back header towards the far post for the unmarked Bolasie to head home from virtually on the line.
Bolasie’s sixth goal of the season was an emotional moment for the forward, who had not forgotten the frustration he felt in 2013 when he was an unused substitute during Palace’s Championship play-off final win over Watford at Wembley.
Costel Pantilimon had to make an alert save when Cabaye aimed for the far corner and not long after that the France midfielder, at the heart of all Palace’s best moments with his smooth passing, tested Watford’s goalkeeper with a dipping free-kick.
Adding to Watford’s problems, Etienne Capoue was stretchered off after the midfielder crumpled to the turf with what looked like a knee injury following an off-the-ball collision with Bolasie.
It could have been even worse for Watford before half-time when Nathan Ake avoided conceding a penalty despite blocking Wilfried Zaha’s cross with his hand.
Little had been seen from Deeney in the first half, so it was an encouraging sign for Flores when the striker threatened with a header soon after the interval.
Bolasie remained a man possessed and he tore down the left flank before drilling a low shot that Pantilimon saved with his legs.
But Watford were more dangerous now and in the 55th minute they won the corner that brought their equaliser.
Deeney’s desire and muscular aerial power got him to the ball before Dann and he angled a fine glancing header past Wayne Hennessey for his 11th goal of the season.
Yet Watford’s joy was short-lived as Palace regained the lead only six minutes later.
What should have been a situation that posed no danger proved fatal for Watford as they went to sleep from a Palace throw, allowing Papa Souare time for a high cross that Ake was slow to react to as Wickham towered above him to head past Pantilimon.
Watford substitute Adlene Guedioura almost forced extra-time when he scuffed wide in the last minute, but Palace held on.
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England World Cup squad
Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wkt), Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
A Cat, A Man, and Two Women
Junichiro Tamizaki
Translated by Paul McCarthy
Daunt Books
The biog
Family: wife, four children, 11 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren
Reads: Newspapers, historical, religious books and biographies
Education: High school in Thatta, a city now in Pakistan
Regrets: Not completing college in Karachi when universities were shut down following protests by freedom fighters for the British to quit India
Happiness: Work on creative ideas, you will also need ideals to make people happy
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Basquiat in Abu Dhabi
One of Basquiat’s paintings, the vibrant Cabra (1981–82), now hangs in Louvre Abu Dhabi temporarily, on loan from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
The latter museum is not open physically, but has assembled a collection and puts together a series of events called Talking Art, such as this discussion, moderated by writer Chaedria LaBouvier.
It's something of a Basquiat season in Abu Dhabi at the moment. Last week, The Radiant Child, a documentary on Basquiat was shown at Manarat Al Saadiyat, and tonight (April 18) the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is throwing the re-creation of a party tonight, of the legendary Canal Zone party thrown in 1979, which epitomised the collaborative scene of the time. It was at Canal Zone that Basquiat met prominent members of the art world and moved from unknown graffiti artist into someone in the spotlight.
“We’ve invited local resident arists, we’ll have spray cans at the ready,” says curator Maisa Al Qassemi of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's Canal Zone Remix is at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Thursday April 18, from 8pm. Free entry to all. Basquiat's Cabra is on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi until October
More on Quran memorisation:
Can NRIs vote in the election?
Indians residing overseas cannot cast their ballot abroad
Non-resident Indians or NRIs can vote only by going to a polling booth in their home constituency
There are about 3.1 million NRIs living overseas
Indians have urged political parties to extend the right to vote to citizens residing overseas
A committee of the Election Commission of India approved of proxy voting for non-resident Indians
Proxy voting means that a person can authorise someone residing in the same polling booth area to cast a vote on his behalf.
This option is currently available for the armed forces, police and government officials posted outside India
A bill was passed in the lower house of India’s parliament or the Lok Sabha to extend proxy voting to non-resident Indians
However, this did not come before the upper house or Rajya Sabha and has lapsed
The issue of NRI voting draws a huge amount of interest in India and overseas
Over the past few months, Indians have received messages on mobile phones and on social media claiming that NRIs can cast their votes online
The Election Commission of India then clarified that NRIs could not vote online
The Election Commission lodged a complaint with the Delhi Police asking it to clamp down on the people spreading misinformation
