Connor Wickham said he felt personally responsible for making sure Crystal Palace reached the FA cup final after his mistake led to Watford’s equaliser.

The striker admitted he gave the ball away in the build-up, and was determined to score to make amends, heading the winner in the 61st minute.

Wickham said he has not lived up to expectations this season and was happy to prove himself on the biggest stage.

“As soon as it left Papa’s foot I knew it was coming to me,” said Wickham.

“The goal that we conceded, I lost the ball, so I felt responsible from then.

“But we showed how strong we are, how resolute we can be.

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“We didn’t cave to the pressure once we had the momentum from the goal and once we got the goal we looked strong and comfortable, as we did the whole game.”

Wickham admitted it could have easily been Emmanuel Adebayor leading the line for Palace after a difficult season in which Wickham has only made 19 league appearances.

However, after dealing with multiple injuries this season, the 23-year-old was delighted to finally answer his critics.

“It could [have been Adebayor starting]. The manager’s brought me in with a lot of expectation, which I know I’ve not lived up to,” said Wickham.

“I’ve been injured a lot, but before my last injury I was back scoring goals. That’s what I love doing.

“That’s what I get paid to do. We’ve come to Wembley and I’ve done it on the biggest stage.”

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