GOAL! Man City won a narrow victory over Chelsea and entered their second consecutive FA Cup final.
On a day when the pillars were all out of strength, The Citizens had to work very hard to defeat The Blues. Chelsea have reason to regret this result when they had good chances but missed them all.
Man United and Coventry City will compete for the remaining ticket to the final against Man City tonight (September 21).
The second half has 8 minutes of extra time.
Minute 84: GOAL!!!! Bernardo Silva opens the score for Man City! Petrovic blocked De Bruyne's cross but Silva arrived at the right time to kick the rebound into the empty net.
Minute 80: The match is entering the decisive stage but there are not many clear-cut situations.
Jeremy Doku has breathed new life into Man City's attack since coming on for Grealish, but it will require precision if he wants to penetrate Chelsea's defence.
The Citizens will not want to enter extra time for the second consecutive match.
Minute 63: Man City have been holding the ball well in the past few minutes. They stirred up Chelsea's defense with quick combinations, but there was not enough space to finish.
Minute 53: Man City responded with Foden's shot. Goalkeeper Petrovic had a good reflex to save Chelsea.
That was also Man City's first shot on target.
Minute 49: Jackson had 2 consecutive chances but could not beat goalkeeper Ortega.
The second half begins.
End of the first half! Man City played better in the final minutes of the first half, causing Chelsea's young stars to continuously make mistakes. However, the number of quality opportunities created is very limited. The coordination between both teams was still not harmonious.
Minute 30: Jackson had a terrible move when facing goalkeeper Oterga. Although in a favorable position, he did not finish but passed it back to his teammate, so that the Man City defender could clear the ball in time.
Minute 20: Man City played with determination but could clearly see the fatigue of the players, who had 120 tense minutes against Real Madrid in midweek such as De Bruyne or Bernardo Silva.
Chelsea tried to target the opponent's loopholes but no real striker took advantage of that space.
Minute 14: Cucurella just had a timely save after Foden's missed shot.
Minute 12: Chelsea are starting quite well and causing many difficulties for Man City. No clear chances have been created and the ball possession time between the two teams is balanced.
23:15: The match begins!
This is the 18th time Man City under Pep Guardiola have played at Wembley and the 4th time in the past 12 months. Determined to defend his title in the FA Cup, Pep only changed 4 positions compared to the squad against Real Madrid in midweek. Notably, Erling Haaland is absent due to injury.
Lineup:
Man City: Ortega Moreno, Walker, Stones, Akanji, Ake, Rodrigo, De Bruyne, Bernardo, Foden, Grealish, Alvarez.
Chelsea: Petrovic; gust, Chalobah, Thiago Silva, Cucurella; Caicedo, Enzo; Madueke, Gallagher, Palmer; Jackson.
Pre-match information
Manchester City have been dreaming of winning the treble for the second consecutive year after being eliminated by Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. For many of the Citizens, it was a big shock, but they need to overcome it quickly.
Just over two days after that match, Man City had another knockout match, against Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-finals. On the other hand, with that disappointment, Chelsea were both in a state of excitement - beating Everton 6-0, and had a longer break and preparation period.
This season, Chelsea have not been able to enter the Premier League championship race, even if they are not present in any European Cup front. But they are candidates in the two domestic cup competitions.
That partly shows the instability of The Blues in the process of rebuilding under Mauricio Pochettino. But Chelsea are having a tough time at this stage. At the Etihad last February, Chelsea also played well and Man City only had an equalizer 1-1 in the final minutes.
