Dean Moxey thanked Watford's Almen Abdi for doing Crystal Palace's team talk for them ahead of the Championship play-off final at Wembley.

The Eagles were written off throughout the media before the end-of-season showpiece on Monday but deservedly claimed their place in the Premier League with a 1-0 extra-time win.

Just like Brighton in the semi-final before, Watford's players appeared overconfident before the final with Abdi even saying he was relieved to be facing Palace - something Moxey and the rest of the Palace squad used as motivation.

"We beat Brighton and didn't let a goal in when everyone wrote us off," said Moxey.

"No one gave us a chance against them and we turned them over.

"No one really gave us a chance at Wembley either, everyone was saying Watford were going to win and it was done.

"I saw Abdi put a thing in the paper saying it was all but done. That was our team talk done. We knew what we had to do and we went and did it.

"It annoyed us. Everyone, not just their team, was writing us off and the gaffer said he didn't need to do anything else.

"He just said to us 'everyone has written you off so go and show them what you can do'. And we did it."

Moxey could now find himself trying to stop Palace wing wizard Wilfried Zaha next season when the 20-year-old switches to Manchester United - the club Moxey supports - a prospect he is not relishing.

"I won't be looking forward to it if he plays like he did on Monday, he was fantastic and has been all season," he said.

"He deserved his move and he was very emotional in the dressing room. He is happy he has done this for Palace.

"He is 20 and a Palace legend, he can come back whenever he wants and he is emotional to leave the club. But he knows he is going on to the biggest club in the world and he has got a chance and he has got to take it. I hope he does."