Skip to main content

Football

Chelsea 1-0 Manchester City: Ziyech secures FA Cup final spot

hakim-ziyech_8f64mp29zhtv11vnjfmlhabka.jpg

Hakim Ziyech sent Chelsea into the FA Cup final for the fourth time in five seasons by securing a 1-0 victory over Manchester City, who lost Kevin De Bruyne to injury.

After finishing as runners-up to Arsenal last season, Chelsea have a chance to go one better thanks to Ziyech's 55th-minute strike against the Premier League leaders at Wembley on Saturday.

Advertisement

His goal arrived just seven minutes after De Bruyne went off with an ankle issue – a concern for Pep Guardiola with the EFL Cup final and first leg of City's Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain to come this month.

Ziyech was unable to beat Zack Steffen and get a second before the hour mark, but one goal was enough for Chelsea to finally beat City at the new Wembley at the fourth attempt.

From the early stages both teams appeared eager to try to exploit the counter-attack, but Chelsea looked the more dangerous in those situations.

Ziyech had a goal chalked off inside six minutes because Timo Werner was offside in the build-up, while Ben Chilwell scuffed a volley wide from a brilliant Reece James cross.

James failed to work Steffen with an effort of his own, meaning Gabriel Jesus' hopeful 20-yard effort that was caught by Kepa Arrizabalaga was the first half's only shot on target.

De Bruyne appeared to get hurt after tangling with N'Golo Kante three minutes after half-time and was replaced by Phil Foden.

Matters deteriorated for City in the 55th minute, when Mason Mount released Werner and he squared for Ziyech to steer the ball into an empty net.

A terrific, raking pass from Chilwell gave Ziyech a chance to double his tally four minutes later but Steffen stayed big to keep him at bay.

Chelsea lost Thiago Silva to a back injury late on but they saw out the victory comfortably, even with Christian Pulisic's stoppage-time strike being correctly chalked off for offside.

 

What does it mean? City's quadruple hopes over

Guardiola has long insisted that winning the Premier League, FA Cup, EFL Cup and Champions League in the same season is not possible.

In a season with increased fixture congestion due to the coronavirus pandemic, it is impressive that City still had a chance to complete the feat in April.

However, Guardiola was beaten by Thomas Tuchel for the first time in their sixth managerial meeting and suffered an FA Cup semi-final defeat for the second straight season.

Ziyech makes the difference

It was at times tough to watch with both teams looking to do damage in transition, but Ziyech was more threatening than anyone when the chance to run in behind arose. He was in the right place to score the winner and on another day could have had a hat-trick.

De Bruyne blow

City remain in the hunt for trophies on three fronts this season but may be set for a period without midfield talisman De Bruyne after he appeared to sustain an ankle injury. He created two chances in just 48 minutes on the pitch and City missed his midfield mastery.

Key Opta Facts:

- Chelsea have reached the FA Cup final in four of the last five seasons – only Arsenal (21) and Manchester United (20) have reached the competition’s showcase on more occasions than Chelsea (15).
- Tuchel has become the first ever German manager to reach the English FA Cup final.
- Since Thomas Tuchel's first game in charge of Chelsea in January, the Blues have kept more clean sheets in all competitions than any other side in the top five European leagues (14).
- Timo Werner has been involved in 19 goals in all competitions this season (10 goals, nine assists), at least three more than any other Chelsea player.

What's next?

Leicester City or Southampton will face Chelsea in the final in May. More immediately, the Blues take on Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League on Tuesday, with City travelling to Aston Villa the day after.

Upcoming Matches

competition-logo
English FA Cup
Saturday, 10 Jan
Round 3
03:30 AM
Wrexham-team-logo Wrexham
Nottingham Forest-team-logo Nottingham Forest
08:15 PM
Macclesfield Town-team-logo Macclesfield Town
Crystal Palace-team-logo Crystal Palace
11:00 PM
Wolverhampton Wanderers-team-logo Wolverhampton Wanderers
Shrewsbury Town-team-logo Shrewsbury Town
11:00 PM
Burnley-team-logo Burnley
Millwall-team-logo Millwall
11:00 PM
Bristol City-team-logo Bristol City
Watford-team-logo Watford
11:00 PM
Ipswich Town-team-logo Ipswich Town
Blackpool-team-logo Blackpool
11:00 PM
Milton Keynes Dons-team-logo Milton Keynes Dons
Oxford United-team-logo Oxford United
11:00 PM
Hull City-team-logo Hull City
Blackburn Rovers-team-logo Blackburn Rovers
11:00 PM
Cambridge United-team-logo Cambridge United
Birmingham City-team-logo Birmingham City
11:00 PM
Sheffield United-team-logo Sheffield United
Mansfield Town-team-logo Mansfield Town
11:00 PM
Doncaster Rovers-team-logo Doncaster Rovers
Southampton-team-logo Southampton
11:00 PM
Cheltenham Town-team-logo Cheltenham Town
Leicester City-team-logo Leicester City
11:00 PM
Boreham Wood-team-logo Boreham Wood
Burton-team-logo Burton
11:00 PM
Norwich City-team-logo Norwich City
Walsall-team-logo Walsall
11:00 PM
Port Vale-team-logo Port Vale
Fleetwood Town-team-logo Fleetwood Town
11:00 PM
Stoke City-team-logo Stoke City
Coventry City-team-logo Coventry City
11:00 PM
Preston North End-team-logo Preston North End
Wigan Athletic-team-logo Wigan Athletic
11:00 PM
West Ham United-team-logo West Ham United
Queens Park Rangers-team-logo Queens Park Rangers
11:00 PM
Grimsby Town-team-logo Grimsby Town
Weston Super Mare-team-logo Weston Super Mare
11:00 PM
Salford City-team-logo Salford City
Swindon Town-team-logo Swindon Town
11:00 PM
Swansea City-team-logo Swansea City
West Bromwich Albion-team-logo West Bromwich Albion
11:00 PM
Manchester City-team-logo Manchester City
Exeter City-team-logo Exeter City
11:00 PM
Newcastle United-team-logo Newcastle United
Bournemouth AFC-team-logo Bournemouth AFC
11:00 PM
Sheffield Wednesday-team-logo Sheffield Wednesday
Brentford-team-logo Brentford
11:00 PM
Fulham-team-logo Fulham
Middlesbrough-team-logo Middlesbrough
11:00 PM
Everton-team-logo Everton
Sunderland-team-logo Sunderland

Must Watch Video