HAK TO DRAWING BOARD! NCELLED and KDB injured
Ziyech sends Chelsea to FA Cup Final... Pep’s Quad CA
PEP GUARDIOLA paid the price for making wholesale changes as Manchester City’s Quadruple chase ended at Wembley.
Hakim Ziyech grabbed the only goal in yesterday’s FA Cup semifinal to send Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea into the next month’s showpiece.
And the ex-ajax man’s fifth strike for the club, early in the second half, was enough to end City’s dream of achieving an unprecedented clean sweep of all the trophies home and abroad.
Indeed, this cup exit means Guardiola’s men can no longer do the traditional domestic Double or Treble either.
But while Chelsea chief Tuchel (right) was celebrating his first victory over Guardiola at the sixth attempt, the Spaniard had only himself to blame for this shocking defeat.
Not for the first time, the Etihad supremo had disrespected the competition by completely shuffling his pack – with EIGHT changes. On the sad occasion of
Prince Philip’s funeral in nearby Windsor earlier in the day, here was a meeting of English football royalty.
And following their respective progress into the last four of the Champions League, it was also a possible dress rehearsal for an even bigger prize in Istanbul next month.
Yet dreams of ruling Europe were on hold here, as both clubs attempted to continue their impressive records in the most famous domestic cup competition on the planet.
Not that you would have guessed the status of the occasion by their respective line-ups.
City, beaten at the same stage last year by eventual winners Arsenal, and looking for a third cup success in a decade, left European match-winners Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez on the bench, and included Zack Steffen in goal.
Meanwhile Chelsea, hoping to go all the way for the fourth time since 2010, had three new faces after their 2-1 aggregate Champions League win over Porto. The most significant was reserve keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga getting the nod - and Timo Werner being restored up front. With so much at stake, the early stages were expected to be cagey. Surely the Blues, beaten just twice in 17 games under their German coach, would not fly out of the traps – leaving themselves wide open to City’s lightning, sweeping attacks?
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At least Chelsea were creating – because City’s only attempt at that stage was Juan Laporte’s wayward 50-yard effort. Talk about ridiculously ambitious.
That summed up the Premier League leaders’ out-of-sorts display before the break. Lots of possession, no cutting edge.
Chelsea continued on the front foot –and on 33 minutes the excellent Reece James was just inches away with an effort from 20 yards out.
In the dying stages of the opening period, City skipper Kevin De Bruyne began to click – and one sensed Chelsea might regret not capitalising on their superiority.
Yet within a minute of the second half, the brilliant Belgium hobbled off injured.
On came the talismanic Foden. But before the Three Lions ace could have any sort of influence, the dark Blues broke the deadlock on 54 minutes.
Werner, released by Chilwell, burst down the left before doing the unselfish thing and crossing for Ziyech to tap into an empty net.
Where Steffen had got to was anybody’s guess. Four minutes later the American did deny Ziyech to ensure a tense finale.
City piled on the pressure and had a penalty appeal rejected before recalled Raheem Sterling fluffed his lines with five minutes left – blasting his chance over from close range.