Damien Delaney has confessed that Crystal Palace failed to hit top gear in the FA Cup Final, "?South London Today report.
The Eagles were full of optimism heading into their clash against Manchester United at Wembley on Saturday, but they suffered the agony of losing 2-1.
United dominated possession for the majority of the game and they struck the woodwork twice through Anthony Martial and Marouane Fellaini, before they were stunned by Jason Puncheon's emphatic second-half volley.
Juan Mata spared the Red Devils' blushes by grabbing an equaliser seconds later to force the tie into extra-time.
The prospect of penalties hung over the stadium like a shroud of dread and when Chris Smalling was sent off Crystal Palace were handed the advantage.
However, Alan Pardew's men failed to capitalise and their hopes of claiming the club's first major trophy were shattered by Jesse Lingard's thunderous volley in the 110th minute.
The Eagles gave a good account of themselves, but they struggled to create goalscoring opportunities and Delaney admitted the better team won.
"They were probably the better side on the day" the Republic of Ireland international told Match of the Day.
"They played really well - we possibly didn't do ourselves justice.
"They're a good team. They probably deserve it. No hard feelings on my part. Sorry we couldn't win it."
Although Delaney showed humility in defeat, thousands of Crystal Palace supporters will still be feeling outraged after Mark Clattenburg disallowed Connor Wickham's goal with the scores at 0-0.
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