Chelsea beat Manchester City 1-0 at Wembley thanks to a winner from Hakim Ziyech to go through to their 15th FA Cup final.
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Hakim Ziyech scored the only goal in a close-fought FA Cup semi-final as Chelsea beat Manchester City 1-0 at Wembley on Saturday. Chelsea came into the match as underdogs, trailing Manchester City by twenty points in the Premier League. However, they were the better side on the day. The result meant Blues manager Thomas Tuchel got his first managerial win against Pep Guardiola. Mason Mount released Timo Werner with a precise through ball down the left and the German crossed the ball to Ziyech to tap in and take the lead 10 minutes after the break.
The two forwards has combined to score a similar goal in the 5th minute of the game, but were denied by the offside flag as Werner was caught offside in the build-up.
Chelsea had 49% ball possession in the first half and denied Man City any control of the game.
Tuchel’s approach forced Man City to play a high defensive line. They tried to pressurize Chelsea by pushing higher up the pitch. Chelsea’s forwards made full use of the high defensive line with darting runs. In turn, City’s defence struggled to keep pace with them.
Tuchel’s run since taking over from Frank Lampard three-and-a-half-months ago is nothing short of amazing. The German has lost just 2 of his 19 games in charge of Chelsea. He is the first German Manager to reach the FA Cup final and also secured a spot in the Champions League last four three days ago.
Which way to the #EmiratesFACup Final, Hakim? ? pic.twitter.com/cVjzG8DPiC
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) April 17, 2021
“If you have good ball possession against City, maybe it is the best way to defend,” Tuchel said after the game. “But we were very strong in the defensive statistics too, and is down to the courage of the players, both as individuals and as a team.
“We defended very, very actively and aggressively, with huge solidarity. Everyone needs to attack and defend. That is the key.”
Man City looked a bit tired after their come from behind victory against Borussia Dortmund to seal a Champions League semi-final spot three days ago. City never got into the game and looked less refreshed than the younger Chelsea side. The loss ends their quadruple dreams.
