Manchester City reach FA Cup final after Bernardo Silva’s late strike sinks Chelsea
The idea for Manchester City had been to channel the anguish from the midweek Champions League quarter-final exit against Real Madrid into something more positive and it surely applied most strongly to one of their number.
Bernardo Silva had been a snapshot in so many negative emotions after his terrible penalty in the shootout with Madrid had turned the tide sharply against his team. This is what redemption looks like.
It had been a curious performance from City as they fought to keep alive their hopes of a silver-lined finish to another season. The double-treble had gone but the double-double had not. Chelsea looked threatening, created gilt-edged chances, mainly for Nicolas Jackson, and they had been the better team in the second half.
This City team, however – unlike them – know how to get the job done. With six minutes of normal time to play, they broke through to land the decisive blow, the one to set up a possible repeat of last season’s final against Manchester United. Either them or Coventry City, who play the second semi-final on Sunday.
Kevin De Bruyne had been a symbol of their performance; trying everything but not seeing it all come off, by any means. Yet when he surged on to a pass towards the byline from the substitute, Jérémy Doku, his cut-back flicked off the leg of the Chelsea goalkeeper, Djordje Petrovic, and there was Silva, opening up his body to guide the shot goalwards.
When it deflected off Marc Cucurella, Petrovic was beaten and City felt that familiar charge of elation. Chelsea, by contrast, felt it all slip away. They have regularly been a match for the Premier League’s top three, despite a season of toil and dysfunction, the sense that an argument or some kind of disaster is around the corner.
And so they were here. It was not enough. When one substitute, Ben Chilwell, failed to find another, Raheem Sterling, with a cross towards the very end, it was time for their supporters to begin to rake over the regrets.
City lifted the FA Cup here last June, the second of three steps to immortality, but it was the Madrid defeat that framed this contest from their point of view – and possibly Chelsea’s to an extent.
“It’s going to be tough for City,” Mauricio Pochettino had said on Friday, referring to the emotional strain of the penalty shootout. A stab at mind games from the Chelsea manager? It was the first time that City had tasted defeat since early December and Guardiola had to mastermind the bounce-back without Erling Haaland, who suffered a muscle injury against Madrid.
Guardiola started with Phil Foden as one of his central midfielders, Silva working off the right wing, Julián Álvarez up front. It was Foden who might have given City the lead in the 15th minute after Álvarez worked a square pass to De Bruyne and he played the through ball. Foden had only Petrovic to beat but his first touch was slightly too heavy, making the angle too tight and the chance was gone.
Chelsea had nightmare memories of their previous Wembley visit, which was for the Carabao Cup final loss to Liverpool, when they seemed to stop playing in extra time. They started nervously that day. Here, there were a few more wobbles at the outset, specifically when they tried to play out from the back and into the City press, which they got away with. Just about. The hearts of the Chelsea fans hammered.
There was also encouragement, with Jackson, who started as the No 9, catching the eye with his sharp turns and pace. He certainly advertised his threat to John Stones and it was a pity, from a Chelsea perspective, that Jackson could not finish on 29 minutes when played clean through by Enzo Fernández.
Nobody in sky blue was going to catch Jackson and it looked good when he dropped his shoulder and went left, around Stefan Ortega. Then he hesitated and did not shoot, howls of frustration rippling around the Chelsea end. Jackson was playing catch-up after that. The pass inside for a teammate was never on.
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Chelsea grew into the game. Conor Gallagher worked ferociously on the left of midfield, bringing the hustle, and they got forward with some slick one-touch moves, at times. Noni Madueke had a shot blocked by Stones and the man who seemingly everyone had come to see – Cole Palmer – almost worked his magic in the 37th minute. He showed his silky skills and movement to glide past Rodri and open up the shooting opportunity. Ortega got down and across to push it away.
Álvarez had almost created something at the other end after some quick-footed trickery of his own while Silva was denied by a Cucurella clearance, although Foden was flagged for offside in the middle. Chelsea could take heart from the statistic that showed City had zero shots on target before the interval.
Pochettino has routinely had to rue the profligacy of his players, their lack of ruthlessness. So no mind-reader was required at the start of the second half when Gallagher released Jackson and he could not beat Ortega, the City goalkeeper making a big block. On the second phase, Palmer crossed from the right and Jackson headed at Ortega from point-blank range.
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Chelsea had to scent opportunity. City did not have the control upon which they have built their fearsome reputation. Chelsea looked to have the weapons to hurt them. Jackson’s speed was frightening and there was one moment when he almost won a foot race with Kyle Walker. Palmer shimmered with menace.
He wanted a penalty for handball against Jack Grealish, after banging a free-kick into him in the City wall – it was not there – while Palmer would release Moisés Caicedo, having turned away from Manuel Akanji. Caicedo’s final ball was poor.
At the other end, Foden shot too close to Petrovic and Doku did likewise. De Bruyne steered another effort wide.