The first FA Cup finalist was defined this Saturday. At Wembley Stadium, the Manchester City won the Chelsea, 1-0, and secured their place in the decision. Bernardo Silva, at the end of the game, scored the goal for the Citizens.
Now, coach Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City waits to find out who their opponents will be in the grand final. The second finalist will emerge from the clash between Coventry City and Manchester Unitedwhich will be played at 11:30 am (Brasília time) this Sunday.
Chelsea and Manchester City return to the pitch, now, for the 29th round of the Premier League. The Blues will face the classic against Arsenal. The ball rolls this Tuesday, starting at 4pm (Brasília time), at Emirates Stadium.
On the other hand, City will also face a difficult opponent: they will face Brighton this Thursday, also at 4pm, at Falmer Stadium.
The game
With 13 minutes, Manchester City had the first chance to open the scoring. Kevin De Bruyne found a beautiful pass to Phil Foden inside the penalty area. The Englishman managed to get past goalkeeper Petrovic, but lost an angle for the shot and, after finishing, he saw Cucurella move away before the ball ended up in the back of the goal.
In the 26th minute, Cucurella was Chelsea’s hero again. Grealish appeared on the left side of the penalty area and crossed. The ball fell to Foden at the back post and the Englishman shot home, but Cucurella was there once again to send the ball away.
With 36 minutes, it was Chelsea’s turn to scare the Citizens. Chalobah took a left wing and passed it to Cole Palmer. Inside the area, the Englishman took out the marker with a short dribble and finished on goal for a good save by goalkeeper Ortega, almost making the ‘ex law’ come into effect at Wembley.
FULL-TIME | #FACup FINALISTS!! 🙌
🩵 1-0 🔵 #ManCity | @okx pic.twitter.com/Hmjiuhd8tF
— Manchester City (@ManCity) April 20, 2024
In general, the first half between the teams was very competitive. Both City and Chelsea defended well and fought duels in midfield. Thus, the score went into the break at 0-0.
Right after the break, Chelsea had two great opportunities, but wasted both. In the first, Jackson was face to face with Ortega, but he kicked weakly and made it easier for the archer to defend. In the second, after Palmer’s cross, the center forward tried again, this time with a header, but the goalkeeper saved it again.
Seven minutes into the final stage, City responded. De Bruyne found a good pass for Foden, who shot first time. Goalkeeper Petrovic, however, was well positioned and saved the ball.
It was towards the end of the match that Manchester City once again put pressure on the Blues. Doku passed it to De Bruyne, who invaded the area on the left side. The Belgian crossed back and goalkeeper Petrovic deflected it, but the ball fell to Bernardo Silva at the second post. The Portuguese hit and Cucurella even tried to take it away, but this time he couldn’t. Thus, the Citizens qualified for the decision.
84. IN FRONT!!@BernardoCSilva converts from close range to put us in the lead late on! 🩵
🩵 1-0 🔵 #ManCity | #FACup https://t.co/bIhRat8DFm
— Manchester City (@ManCity) April 20, 2024
Source: Gazetaesportiva
Kingston is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
