Crystal Palace aiming to 'get back what we deserve' by reaching Europa League with Conference League victory, says captain Dean Henderson

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Crystal Palace will be aiming to "get back what we deserve" when they take to the field for the UEFA Conference League final on May 27 in Leipzig, according to captain Dean Henderson.

Palace deserve Europa League after demotion - Henderson

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Palace booked their spot in the final with their 2-1 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk in their semi-final second leg on Thursday, winning 5-2 on aggregate.

Thanks to an own goal and a deft touch from Ismaila Sarr, Palace will compete in their first major European final, taking on Rayo Vallecano.

On the line will be a spot in next year's UEFA Europa League, the competition Palace had qualified for by winning last year's Emirates FA Cup, but were demoted from after UEFA deemed the club had breached multi-club ownership rules.

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And following Thursday's momentous victory, Henderson says Palace are on a mission to return to where they believe they rightfully should be playing.

"When you're coming from a game like [the FA Cup final] last season, it gives you confidence, it makes you hungry for the next thing," the 29-year-old told TNT Sports.

"We've got an ambitious group of players, don't forget that. And it's pretty incredible, to even get into a European competition with Crystal Palace, let alone make a final. And we need to deliver something special, and we need to get back what we deserve."

Palace's magical European journey continued apace on Thursday inside a raucous Selhurst Park.

With a 3-1 lead from the first leg, they further extended their advantage when Pedro Henrique turned Daniel Munoz’s cross-shot into his own net on 25 minutes.

Wharton: We have chance to make massive statement in Palace history

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Shakhtar continued to play positive, attacking football, which led to a fantastic equaliser from Eguinaldo nine minutes later.

Jean-Philippe Mateta rattled a post with an acrobatic effort just prior to the interval, but the home side did regain their lead on 52 minutes when Sarr steered in Tyrick Mitchell’s lovely cross via the post.

Afterwards, Henderson called the feeling of reaching the final "incredible."

"Obviously, for this football club you see the connections between the players and the supporters. It's fantastic, it's unbelievable," he said.

"The manager came in, he made the team believe we can win any game. It's been a difficult season with the amount of games we've played but we've delivered another final which is fantastic."

Palace midfielder Adam Wharton was also effusive in his praise of manager Oliver Glasner and the effect he has had on the team.

"You saw when he came in, we were in incredible form in the Premier League and then last year, the FA Cup, an incredible run," he told TNT Sports. "And then this year in Europe, first time in Europe.

"For a club like Crystal Palace, it's massive and it's incredibly difficult. So many more fixtures, small squad, we were running thin in December and January, it was tough. But we grinded through it, the fans stuck with us and this is the reward. We get one final chance to make a massive statement on Palace's history."

Highlights: Palace reach Conference League final with famous win over Shakhtar

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When Palace were demoted from the Europa League to the Conference League, Nottingham Forest were the beneficiaries, as the two sides swapped competitions.

And on Thursday, Forest were dumped out of the Europa League at the semi-final stage after being thumped 4-0 by Aston Villa in their second leg and losing 4-1 on aggregate.

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