Silva goal sees Manchester City in Final.
With just six minutes remaining of normal time and thoughts of extra time and a penalty shoot-out coming to mind – for the second time in three days for Manchester City – City finally found the net to reach a second successive FA Cup final at the expense of Chelsea, who suffered their second consecutive final’s defeat having gone down to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup in February.
A relieved City manager, Pep Guardiola, who saw his team crash out of the European Champions League at the quarter-final stage only three days earlier to Real Madrid, agonisingly after a penalty shoot-out, was furious at the FA for not scheduling this match a day later, said: “It’s unacceptable. Because I’ve won I have the courage to tell you. For the health of the players, it’s not normal. I don’t understand how we survived today.
“Why play today and not tomorrow. Why not have one more day for the health of the players? Tell me how you prepare this final against Chelsea in the best moment of the season. How? It’s impossible. There’s no chance. It’s common sense. I’m not asking for a special privilege. I know the FA in this country is special for many things but it’s for the health of the players.”
He added: “People cannot imagine what a punch in the face it was to be out of the Champions League in the way we went out (last Wednesday). What my team has done today is one of the greatest things I’ve seen from a group of players.”
The game was a story of missed chances particularly by Chelsea. But City, putting early pressure on their opponents could have taken the lead quicker when Kevin De Bruyne slipped a brilliant ball to Phil Foden who crossed after going around the goalkeeper but the shot was cleared off the line by Marc Cucurella.
Thereafter, Chelsea had several chances which fell to Nicolas Jackson who failed to convert any. The first came in the 29th minute when he was sent clear by Enzo Fernandes. Jackson went around goalkeeper Stefan Ortega but instead to going for the target he tried to pass to Cole Palmer and the ball was cleared by Nathan Aka.
Jackson missed further chances in the second half. Conor Gallagher did well to beat Rodri and passed to Jackson whose weak shot was saved. Jackson then had yet another chance when he received the ball at the back post from Palmer but he headed the ball down and the bounce allowed Ortega to save. Mykhailo Mudryk, on as substitute, missed a fine opportunity in the 68th minute when he shot wide of the far post from a pass by Palmer.
Chelsea had an appeal for a late penalty turned down when the ball clipped Jack Grealish’s hand from a free kick. Finally, in the 84th minute, City found the winning goal. De Bruyne sent a low cross from the left which Djordje Petrovic initially saved with his left foot but the ball went onto the path of Bernardo Silva whose firsttime shot was deflected into the net off a diving Cucurella’s chest, leaving Chelsea to lament the missed chances.
Chelsea manager, Mauricio Pochettino, summed up his team’s performance, saying: “We were not capable of being clinical.”