Chelsea v Crystal Palace (FA Cup 2021-22)

Chelsea v Crystal Palace (2021-22)

Chelsea Crystal Palace 2 0
HT:0–0 Report
Event	2021–22 FA Cup
Date	Sunday 17 April 2022
Venue	Wembley Stadium, London
Player of the Match	Mason Mount
Referee	Anthony Taylor
Attendance	76,238
Weather	18 °C (65 °F)
← Chelsea - Real Madrid C.Palace - Leicester Chelsea - Arsenal C.Palace - Newcastle →

Chelsea v Crystal Palace was a match which took place at Wembley Stadium on Sunday 17 April 2022.

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.

Liverpool won the Carabao Cup final on penalties in February but Chelsea will have the chance for revenge as second-half goals from Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mason Mount underlined their supremacy.

Unlike the first semi-final between Liverpool and Manchester City, chances were at a premium until substitute Loftus-Cheek, on for the injured Mateo Kovacic, broke the deadlock with a deflected shot after 65 minutes.

Palace had their opportunities, Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy saving well from Cheikhou Kouyate in the first half, but they could not come back after Mount slipped a low finish beyond Jack Butland with 14 minutes left.

Chelsea have deservedly reached their third successive FA Cup final and will now hope to reverse recent history after losing the previous two to Arsenal and Leicester City.

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.

Chelsea had to work had for their triumph but they showed patience, organisation and then quality to take control after half-time.

By the end, Chelsea were in complete command and only some generosity in front of goal from substitute Romelu Lukaku, who struck the post when it seemed easier to score, and the otherwise excellent Timo Werner prevented a scoreline that would have been harsh on Palace.

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.

Palace manager Patrick Vieira and his players were understandably devastated at the final whistle but the Eagles' performance here, and over the season as a whole, gives great cause for optimism.

Vieira has squad boasting several emerging young talents playing attractive football, although they were required to show a more pragmatic side here as they contained Chelsea well until their former loanee Loftus-Cheek struck with an effort that took a slight deflection.

There was no way back for Palace after that but, backed by truly magnificent support, they give the impression of a well-run club on the right lines under an astute manager with an excellent structure around him.

Danger man Wilfried Zaha was just too isolated to make an impression but the key component missing was the guile, quality and exuberance of England midfield man Conor Gallagher, who was unable to play against his parent club.

Defeat will hurt, but Vieira and Palace can nevertheless be delighted with the progress the club is making.

Match

Details

17 April 2022 16:30 GMT	Chelsea	2–0	Crystal Palace	Wembley Stadium, London Attendance: 76,238 Referee: Anthony Taylor
	Loftus-Cheek  65' Mount  76'	HT:0–0 Report

Chelsea

Crystal Palace

16 Édouard Mendy 28 César Azpilicueta 04 Andreas Christensen 82' 02 Antonio Rüdiger 24 Reece James 05 Jorginho 77' 08 Mateo Kovačić 26' 03 Marcos Alonso 11 Timo Werner 19 Mason Mount 77' 29 Kai Havertz 77' Substitutes: 01 Kepa Arrizabalaga 06 Thiago Silva 82' 07 N'Golo Kanté 77' 09 Romelu Lukaku 77' 10 Christian Pulisic 12 Ruben Loftus-Cheek 17 Saúl Ñíguez 22 Hakim Ziyech 77' 31 Malang Sarr Manager: Thomas Tuchel

01 Jack Butland 02 Joel Ward 16 Joachim Andersen 06 Marc Guéhi 03 Tyrick Mitchell 15 Jeffrey Schlupp 72' 08 Cheikhou Kouyaté 85' 18 James McArthur 72' 10 Eberechi Eze 11 Wilfried Zaha 14 Jean-Philippe Mateta 55' Substitutes: 04 Luka Milivojević 85' 05 James Tomkins 07 Michael Olise 72' 09 Jordan Ayew 55' 13 Vicente Guaita 17 Nathaniel Clyne 20 Christian Benteke 72' 22 Odsonne Édouard 34 Martin Kelly Manager: Patrick Vieira

Match Stats

• Match Stats

Overall	Chelsea	Crystal Palace
Goals scored	2	0
Total shots	12	6
Shots on target	4	2
Ball possession	67%	33%
Corner kicks	5	2
Fouls committed	16	6

See also

• 2021–22 FA Cup

External links

• Match report at BBC.co.uk