Watch: Puncheon puts Crystal Palace ahead; Mata equalises immediately
Three minutes of chaos at Wembley Stadium turned the FA Cup final from a cagey affair into a thriller.
After Crystal Palace and Manchester United produced 78 minutes of yawn-inducing football Saturday, an unstoppable shot from Jason Puncheon, the Eagles' homegrown hero who took the pitch as a substitute moments earlier and "carries this football club in his heart," livened up the final in an instant.
2 – Jason Puncheon has scored in back to back games for Palace for the first time since May 2015 when he also netted vs Man Utd. Impact.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 21, 2016
However, only 175 seconds later, just when Palace supporters were starting to dream of a first FA Cup title, Juan Mata triggered collective heartbreak among the Eagles fans at Wembley, slotting the ball past Wayne Hennessey after some individual work from Wayne Rooney.
There's something about an FA Cup final that just seems to get Mata going.
2 - Juan Mata has scored or assisted a goal in both of his FA Cup final appearances. Leveller.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 21, 2016