Former Gunner Eddie Nketiah provided an FA Cup semi-final assist on Saturday to help Crystal Palace through to their first final since 2016.
Eddie Nketiah joined Crystal Palace from Arsenal last summer, and he’s had a mixed time with his new club so far.
In the Premier League, the 25-year-old has just one goal and two assists in 25 games. In fact, WhoScored recently reported that Nketiah is underperforming his expected goals by 4.8, the biggest underperformance of any player in the division in 2024/25.
Yet it’s a different story in the cups, with Crystal Palace reaching the FA Cup final with a big hand from the former Gunner.
Before the FA Cup kicked off, Nketiah had already scored twice in three games for Palace in the League Cup, including a goal against Arsenal in his new team’s run to the quarter-finals.
He’s carried that form into the FA Cup, scoring against Millwall in the fifth round and Fulham in the quarter-finals, before adding a semi-final assist against Aston Villa on Saturday.
Nketiah surprised Youri Tielemans in possession and played a quick through ball to Ismaila Sarr, who fired past Emi Martinez to put Palace 3-0 up.
It’s Palace’s first cup final since 2016, and only their second of the last 35 years.
If Nketiah can go on and get a goal in the final to help them win the trophy, his league woes will surely be forgiven and forgotten.