Man City avoids Real hangover, tops Chelsea to make FA Cup Final

Man City narrowly edged out Chelsea on Saturday to advance to the FA Cup final. Bernardo Silva managed to score the only goal of the game on the day late in the game. The midfielder became the hero against the Blues after seeing a penalty shot saved on Wednesday against Real Madrid.

The two sides entered the massive match with opposite outlooks on their seasons. Despite recently being knocked out of the UEFA Champions League, City is currently leading the Premier League. The reigning European champions are looking for their fourth consecutive league tittle. Chelsea, on the other hand, find themselves sitting ninth in the standings and only really have/had the FA Cup to play for.

Kevin De Bruyne made a return to manager Pep Guardiola’s starting lineup after needing to be substituted midweek. However, superstar striker Erling Haaland was forced to miss Saturday’s matchup due to a minor injury.

Chelsea looked most likely to go ahead in goalless first half

Despite their opposite places in the league table, the match began fairly evenly. Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson had the game’s first real scoring chance in the seventh minute. The forward, however, sent a shot from a dangerous area directly at Stefan Ortega in goal. Phil Foden then found himself in a one-on-one position against Blues keeper Djordje Petrovic a few minutes later. Nevertheless, the City star could not capitalize on the glorious chance.

City seemingly looked a bit hungover from their midweek defeat. De Bruyne accidentally blocked a shot by his own teammate while in an offside position in the 20th minute. Foden was then judged to have been offside a few minutes later on a lovely lofted pass over the defense by Jack Grealish.

Jackson and former City youngster Cole Palmer had solid opportunities for Chelsea in the opening period as well. The striker found himself free on goal in the 30th minute due to a beautiful ball by Enzo Fernandez. Jackson, however, bizarrely did not take…

Source link : https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/man-city-avoids-real-hangover-tops-chelsea-to-make-fa-cup-final/

Author : Chris Moore

Publish date : 2024-04-20 18:44:43

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