Why Adam Wharton Missed Crystal Palace’s FA Cup Celebrations and Didn’t Collect Medal

Crystal Palace defied all odds to defeat Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the 2025 FA Cup final. The Eagles finally lifted their first-ever major trophy after Eberechi Eze’s winning goal at Wembley Stadium, but one key player was absent from the post-match celebrations.

Midfielder Adam Wharton was nowhere to be seen as his teammates collected their medals and lifted England’s oldest cup. The ex-Blackburn Rovers star started the match alongside Daichi Kamada at the heart of the Palace midfield after also playing a key role in the 3-0 triumph against Aston Villa last month.

Many clubs are said to be circling around the England international after his impressive 18-month spell at Selhurst Park so far. That said, Wharton was the notable absentee when the Crystal Palace celebrations were taking place.

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Adam Wharton Misses Crystal Palace Celebrations

An injury ruled him out of the proceedings

Unfortunately for Oliver Glasner and all the Eagles supporters inside the national stadium, Wharton was forced off with an injury in the 87th minute with the south London outfit looking to hold on to the biggest victory in their entire history.

Per Fabrizio Romano, the composed midfield general was absent as he was undergoing ‘concussion checks from KDB shot’. After blocking Kevin De Bruyne’s shot on goal, Wharton had to be withdrawn and therefore missed the rest of the proceedings before and after the full-time whistle.

Player safety always comes first in the modern game, meaning no chances can be taken with a potential head injury. Therefore, it was important for the necessary checks to take place, and Wharton was withdrawn from the celebrations and wasn’t even able to collect his medal.

While the Citizens had the majority of the possession throughout the 90 minutes, Wharton was impressive in the middle of the park for Palace, with legendary midfielder Roy Keane even praising him. The Man United icon stated during ITV’s coverage of the event:

“He’s a classy little player, he always looks like he knows what he’s doing.

“Very classy, played well in the semi-final, I know he’s been linked with bigger clubs, I like everything about him.”