The dream of the double Treble disappeared with defeat to Real Madrid in that penalty shoot-out at The Etihad on Wednesday night but the dream of the double Double lives on. In English football’s era of the Manchester City Supremacy, it is a measure of their dominance that the prospect of such a feat has come to seem like an anti-climax.
It should not be. City’s consistency is remarkable. They were far from at their best at Wembley against a Chelsea side that had enough chances to beat them twice over but they found a way to win, as they so often do, and a late winner from Bernardo Silva earned them their place in the final at the end of next month against either Manchester United or Coventry City.
Football can be cruel but football heals, too, and there was something beautiful about Silva getting the winner. It was his chipped penalty that was so comfortably saved by Madrid keeper Andriy Lunin in the shoot-out that was the symbol of that devastating loss. Now, he was the hero again.
City’s tilt at history rests more on their attempt to become the first English side ever to win the top flight title four times in succession but, despite the systematic efforts of the Premier League and the FA to destroy the competition, it still carries considerable cachet of its own. That was clear in the joy of the City celebrations after the game.
It was hard not feel some sympathy for Chelsea’s fans, who had provided such brilliant support for their team in trying circumstances. Time after time after time, they saw their forwards waste clear opportunities to score. By late in the second half, their frustration was boiling over. It was hard to blame them.
Bernardo Silva sent Manchester City to the FA Cup final with a late goal to break Chelsea’s hearts
Nicolas Jackson missed some incredible chances for Chelsea at Wembley
Pep Guardiola’s side rebounded from their midweek disappointment against Real Madrid
It is little wonder that Nicolas Jackson was so desperate to take that penalty in Chelsea’s 6-0 thrashing of Everton recently. On this evidence, there is precious little chance of him scoring in any other way. His performance was not without merit against City but in front of goal, he was the Wizard of Waste.
The game, in general, was hardly a classic. City looked tired. Chelsea were simply not good enough to win. If Cole Palmer had a better supporting cast, they might have had a chance but there is no one on his level.
As for the occasion, well, there were plenty of empty seats. When the FA and the Premier League, who dealt the competition another blow by scrapping replays from the first round proper onwards last week, do not have any respect or love for the FA Cup, what do they expect. The stench of that decision still hung over this game.
Chelsea had nearly played themselves into trouble inside the first two minutes. Marc Cucurella overhit a pass to Thiago Silva in his own box that caught Silva on his heels. The ball looked as if it would run to Julian Alvarez but as he closed in on it, Silva stretched to make a saving tackle.
City forged a chance of their own after a quarter of an hour when De Bruyne slipped a brilliant reverse ball through to Phil Foden, who beat the offside trap and took the ball around Djordje Petrovic. The ball ran just too wide for Foden to clip it home and when he dinked a cross towards goal, it was headed off the line by Cucurella.
Chelsea had a reasonable amount of possession but City made the best of the chances in what felt like a tepid first half. Jack Grealish lifted a cross to the back post that Bernardo Silva prodded past Petrovic. Two things prevented it being a goal: another last-ditch clearance from Cucurella and a linesman’s flag against Foden.
It took half an hour for Chelsea to threaten the City defence properly but when they did, they created the best chance of the match so far. Nicolas Jackson ran on to a fine long ball from Enzo Fernandez, beat City’s offside trap and advanced on Stefan Ortega.
Jackson was the Wizard of Waste as he and Chelsea spurned chances to end City’s Double dream
Jackson was through one-on-one more than once but was unable to find the net
Moises Caicedo was lucky to escape a red card for this horrific challenge on Jack Grealish, who was forced off
Chelsea went toe-to-toe with City and carved out multiple chances to go ahead
Jackson, who possesses the qualities of pace and profligacy in equal measure, rounded the City goalkeeper but then lost his nerve. Instead of rolling the ball into the goal, he checked back and looked for a teammate. He delayed too long and by the time he played the ball, Nathan Ake had got back to boot it away. Chelsea’s fans were enraged.
It did not take long for Chelsea to menace City’s goal again. This time, it was all the work of Cole Palmer, who has established himself beyond any reasonable doubt as his team’s best player. Palmer tricked his way past Rodri in the box with the kind of impudence that makes the soul leap and tried to bend his shot into the corner only for Ortega to push it away.
Jackson started the second half as he had played in the first: missing chances. Perhaps it is unfair to criticise him too robustly because his running off the ball and his build-up play was excellent. But his finishing was criminally poor.
He missed two fine chances in the space of about 20 seconds. First, Gallagher went past Rodri and played Jackson in on goal. Jackson tried to bend his shot around Ortega but it was too close to him and hit too weakly.
The ball was recycled and crossed, deliciously, to the back post by Palmer where Jackson was waiting. Once he connected with it, it seemed impossible he would not score but he headed the ball down and the bounce allowed Ortega time to react and slap it away.
At the other end, Foden saw a fine chance saved by Petrovic before City survived furious Chelsea appeals for a penalty when a Palmer free kick squeezed through the defensive wall and appeared to clip Grealish on the arm. VAR checked the incident and ruled it was not a penalty.
Chelsea blew yet another clear opportunity when a clever pass from Palmer sent Moises Caicedo clear on the right. Jackson was screaming for the ball in the centre but, perhaps understandably, Caicedo seemed to be in two minds about whether to pass to him. In the end, he half-crossed it and half-passed it straight into touch.
Just when the match had descended into drab deadlock and seemed destined for extra time, City forced the winner. De Bruyne escaped down the left and drilled a cross into the six yard box. Petrovic deflected it with his left foot but it fell straight to Bernardo Silva, who smashed it goalwards. Cucurella flung himself at it but could only deflect the ball into the net.
Football can be cruel but Silva made amends for his poor penalty against Real Madrid in midweek
Erling Haaland was absent through injury but City found a way through the match without him
Mykhailo Mudryk badly overhit a free-kick and frustrated Chelsea fans left in their droves after that
Chelsea just had time to waste one last golden chance. Jackson fashioned a lovely lay-off to substitute Ben Chilwell on the left but Chilwell ignored Raheem Sterling as he sprinted clear down the left. By the time he got around to playing the pass, it was cut out by a City defender.
When Chelsea got a free kick in a dangerous wide position in the dying seconds of eight minutes of added time, Mykhailo Mudryk overhit it so badly that it nearly went for a throw-in. Many of Chelsea’s supporters had finally seen enough. They got up and made for the exits in their droves.
Read More: World News | Entertainment News | Celeb News
Mail Online
