Chelsea 1-0 Manchester City: Three Things We Learned

Chelsea knew they were going to be the underdogs heading into the game against Manchester City yesterday, but with the lights on bright at Wembley and a place in the FA Cup final being at stake, the Blues put on a solid performance to beat City and knock them out of the competition. Hakim Ziyech scored the one and only goal of the game with Chelsea now waiting to see whether Leicester or Southampton join them in the final.

Chelsea’s composure

The best thing that can be said for Chelsea’s performance last night was that they were patient, professional and composed – three qualities you need if you’re going to stand a chance against Manchester City. The FA Cup is a great competition and winning it can serve as a massive boost to any club, which is why Thomas Tuchel will be feeling such a surge of momentum and confidence this morning. Whether or not they can translate that over to the Premier League and Champions League, though, remains to be seen.

Kepa to the rescue

We all know the troubles Kepa Arrizabalaga has had at Stamford Bridge, which is why many fans were a bit concerned to see him start against one of the best teams in world football. Alas, in the end, it was Kepa who turned out to be the hero of the day with his best save being from a Rodri header in injury time that could so easily have drifted into the back of the net. He isn’t the club’s number one, but he’s proving himself to be a capable pair of hands.

Quadruple hopes disappear

Everyone thought Manchester City had a fighting chance of winning the quadruple but now, that’s no longer going to be possible. The FA Cup being removed from the equation may not be seen as the biggest problem but because it’s happened, they also won’t be able to match the “traditional” treble set by Manchester United in 1999. Instead, they’ll try and take home the League Cup, Champions League and Premier League as we continue on through this confusing and somewhat crazy season.

Match Report

Chelsea: Arrizabalaga (7), Rudiger (7), Silva (7.5), Azpilicueta (7), Chilwell (7.5), Jorginho (7), Kante (6.5), James (6.5), Mount (7), Ziyech (7), Werner (7), Pulisic (6), Emerson (6), Havertz (6.5), Zouma (6)

Manchester City: Steffen (6.5), Cancelo (6.5), Dias (6), Laporte (6), Mendy (6.5), Fernandinho (6.5), Rodrigo (7), Torres (6), De Bruyne (6.5), Sterling (6.5), Jesus (6.5), Foden (6.5), Gundogan (6.5)

Referee: Mike Dean

Goals: Ziyech

Yellow Cards: Azpilicueta, James, Fernandinho, Dias, Laporte

Red Cards: N/A