Chelsea beats Saints to set up FA Cup final against Man United
LONDON (Reuters) – A flash of attacking brilliance from Olivier Giroud and an emphatic header from substitute Alvaro Morata earned Chelsea a 2-0 win over struggling Southampton at Wembley on Sunday and an FA Cup final date with Manchester United next month.
Giroud muscled and dribbled past three defenders and flailing keeper Alex McCarthy seconds into the second half to poke the ball home from a pass by the ever-busy Eden Hazard.
“I love to play here [at Wembley] and I have been unbeaten here, so hopefully for the final we are going to keep it up,” said Giroud, whose Arsenal side beat Chelsea in the final last year.
Morata, who came on for Giroud, made it two in the 82nd minute, nodding Cesar Azpilicueta’s cross into the net.
Relegation-threatened Southampton was outplayed for most of the match, but defended manfully during a dour first half, during which Chelsea forward Willian hit the crossbar.
The Saints were forced to move out of their half after Giroud’s goal and came close to equalizing in the 72nd minute when Chelsea ’keeper Willy Caballero’s save kept out Nathan Redmond’s rasping shot.
They also had a possible goal not given when Charlie Austin was judged to have fouled the keeper. Austin then hit the post in the dying minutes of the game.
Chelsea will meet Jose Mourinho’s United at Wembley on May 19 after the Manchester side beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 in the first semifinal on Saturday.
The clash will have added spice because of the tension between former Chelsea boss Mourinho and current coach Antonio Conte.
Hazard, who has played under both managers, said: “We gave everything, we played very good football especially in the second half and controlled the game.
“Now we go to the final and for the [Premier League] again and then we can think about the final against Manchester United.”
Chelsea is fifth in the league, but Hazard said it had not given up hope of making the top four and getting a Champions League spot as well as winning the FA Cup. CHELSEA FORWARD Pedro (left) heads the ball toward the Southampton goal past defender Cedric Soares (2) late in the second half of the Blues’ 2-0 victory over the Saints in last night’s FA Cup semifinal at Wembley Stadium in London.
Man City powers past Swansea in search of records
Meanwhile, Premier League champion Manchester City kept its title party rolling with a thumping 5-0 win over Swansea City on Sunday as Kevin De Bruyne scored one of the goals of the season.
Swansea stayed 17th, four points above the relegation zone after 34 matches, while City moved on to 90 points, still hoping to beat league records for the most points, wins and goals in a season.
Raheem Sterling set up David Silva for the opening goal after 12 minutes, with the England winger netting the second four minutes later from close range after Fabian Delph cut the ball across.
De Bruyne made it three after the break with a thunderous effort, Bernardo Silva grabbed the fourth by following up after Lukas Fabianski tipped Gabriel Jesus’s penalty on to the post, and Brazilian Jesus headed home the fifth late on.
City won the title a week ago after second-place Manchester United slipped up, but Guardiola said his side would still chase down milestones in the final weeks of the season.
It needs six more points to break the Premier League record of 95 set by Chelsea in 2005, while the club’s goal glut against Swansea took them to 98, five short of the 103 scored by Chelsea in the 2009/10 season.
Guardiola’s team is also one win short of Chelsea’s record of 30 in a 38-game season, set last year.
De Bruyne’s sensational goal was one of the most memorable of the season and his first since January.
The final whistle sparked jubilant scenes with City supporters running on to the pitch to celebrate the title win with the players, who were able to escape with the help of stewards.
“It’s a very nice feeling to play like this, we wanted to perform in these games like we did all season,” De Bruyne added. “You see it from the fans point of view, they enjoy it if you put in the effort and play like we did today.”
In other action, Arsenal scored three goals in the final eight minutes as manager Arsene Wenger marked his penultimate home Premiership match in charge with a crushing 4-1 win over West Ham United in a London derby at the Emirates.
Also, Stoke missed the chance to give its hopes of top-tier survival a major boost when it was held to a 1-1 draw by Burnley.