Chelsea set up a second Wembley meeting with Liverpool this season as they overcame Crystal Palace’s stubborn resistance to reach the FA Cup final.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek opened scoring when he shot a stunning strike that hit defender Andersen and flew into the net to put Tuchel’s men ahead at 65′.
A classy first touch and a brilliant goal from Mount gave Chelsea a comfortable 2-0 lead against Palace in Easter Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final.
LIVERPOOL VS. CHELSEA
The FA Cup final is set 🏆 pic.twitter.com/a7spZ5rjuz
— B/R Football (@brfootball) April 17, 2022
All the dominance eventually paid off for Chelsea but The Eagles came closest to scoring when Cheikhou Kouyate’s volley was saved by Edouard Mendy, to keep the score at 0-0 heading into half-time.
Patrick Vieira’s men looked really solid defensively and made life difficult for Chelsea in more than one occasion.
There was a low moment for the Blues when Mateo Kovacic limped off halfway through the first-half with Ruben Loftus-Cheek replacing the midfielder.
German forward, Kai Havertz was booked for a dive in Chelsea’s low point of the half, taking a tumble in expecting a challenge from Marc Guehi that never came.
Timo Werner should have opened the second half with at least a shot on target but was muscled out by Kouyate when sent in on goal by Loftus-Cheek’s flicked pass.
Manager Thomas Tuchel has a remarkable record in reaching domestic and European finals since his appointment and Chelsea will be formidable opponents for Liverpool, who are in search of a historic quadruple.
Thomas Tuchel was "very proud" that his side didn't lose focus during their 2-0 win over Crystal Palace, which saw them advance to the final of the FA Cup 👇 pic.twitter.com/PHgXZNdmed
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) April 17, 2022
Chelsea may be surrounded by turmoil off the pitch amid the sanctions against owner Roman Abramovich, but a winning mentality persists on it and the players showed admirable powers of recovery following the disappointment of their Champions League quarter-final elimination by Real Madrid.
And if the EFL Cup final between Chelsea and Liverpool earlier this season is anything to go by, the FA Cup equivalent will be a tightly-contested affair between two high-quality sides.
