Chelsea knocked out London rivals Crystal Palace to record their third successive FA Cup final after overcoming a difficult first half.
In a game where Chelsea largely struggled for fluidity following Tuesday’s exit to Real Madrid, first-half substitute Ruben Loftus-Cheek fired the Blues into the lead before Mason Mount’s composed finish saw off a defiant Palace side.
Chelsea had previously lost midfielder Matteo Kovacic to an ankle injury midway through the first half, and found breaking down a disciplined Palace block particularly challenging.
The opening period was therefore tight and cagey. Unable to select Conor Gallagher against his parent club under the terms of the midfielder’s loan, Patrick Vieira decided to use a back three for the first time this season. The intention was to squeeze the space and it made for a dull spectacle, with Wilfried Zaha unable to shake off Reece James and Eberechi Eze offering little as Gallagher’s replacement.
There were only three changes from Tuchel, who brought Christensen, Jorginho and César Azpilicueta in for Thiago Silva, N’Golo Kanté and Loftus-Cheek, and his side struggled to build any momentum at first.
Palace did not give anything away; Azpilicueta wasted Chelsea’s clearest opening, shanking a volley wide with his knee following a Timo Werner cross. It was only when the industrious Werner ran down the left and beyond a few Palace defenders after 38 minutes did the temperature rise Kai Havertz spoiled the mood by faking contact from Marc Guéhi, prompting Anthony Taylor to book the German for diving.
Chelsea, with Tuchel visibly angered by their first half display began the second period with more intent. They pushed Palace back and were close to going ahead when Werner ran through on goal, forcing Jack Butland to make a smothering save.
Chelsea were in control and took the lead when Loftus-Cheek hit a rising volley into the top corner after Palace failed to clear Kai Havertz’s cross. Mount then latched onto Werner’s inside pas and slotted home to kill the contest.
There was even time for substitute Romelu Lukaku to somehow hit the upright from almost within the 6 yard area, but Chelsea held on and will interpret this competition as the last realistic chance for major silverwear this campaign.
Tuchel has reached 6 cup finals in his first year and a half at Chelsea, which is incredible in comparison to his German counterpart Juergen Klopp, who has reached 8 cup finals in over 5 seasons at Liverpool.
Will Chelsea win the FA Cup this time and make it 3rd time lucky? Or will domestic cup trophies continue to haunt Chelsea at Wembley unlike the old times where Chelsea could rely on Didier Drogba to deliver on the big occasion at one of England’s most famous grounds.
