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Bernardo Silva scored a late goal to send Manchester City into the FA Cup final as Chelsea exited the competition.
City were coming off the back of a bitter Uefa Champions League last eight loss to Real Madrid on Wednesday. Pep Guardiola‘s men needed an instant response and it was pure delightfulness for the Manchester club at the final whistle.
Silva, who lost his spot-kick in the shootout loss to Madrid, redeemed himself with the important goal at Wembley.
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With six minutes to go, the diminutive midfielder struck a deflected left-footed shot into the net from Kevin de Bruyne’s cross.
Meanwhile, Chelsea were made to pay for their missed chances during the game. Most of the notable opportunities the Blues had were regrettably missed by Nicolas Jackson.
Chelsea’s Wembley nightmare
Chelsea had lost at the Wembley earlier this season as it was another heartbreak for the club on Saturday. Mauricio Pochettino’s team suffered defeat against Liverpool in February’s Carabao Cup final at the venue.
Two years ago, Chelsea lost both the Carabao and FA Cup finals to Liverpool with the Wembley hosting both matches.
There was a moment of controversy when Chelsea felt they were robbed of a supposed penalty in the second half. Cole Palmer’s free-kick had hit the hand of fellow Englishman Jack Grealish. However, the video assistant referee ruled there was no case of a handball.
Can Manchester City win the Premier League and FA Cup double?
City are still in the running for a Premier League and FA Cup double. They now face either Championship side Coventry City or Manchester United in the final.
With victory against Chelsea, Manchester City remain unbeaten in their last 29 matches in all competitions. It is the longest ever such run in the club’s history (W23 D6).
On Saturday, City looked a really tired side and it told from how they approached the game with their passes, crosses, shots and ball movement, especially in the first half where they could not even muster a shot on target.
City are the current holders and have won many trophies in the years under Guardiola’s leadership. Their never-say-die attitude associated with champions paid off at the end.
The other FA Cup semi-final clash between Coventry City and Manchester United on Sunday will kick-off at 3:30pm WAT/GMT+1.
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