Chelsea player ratings vs Man City: Enzo Fernandez fails to show up as Blues beaten in FA Cup final despite dogged defensive display at Wembley
Chelsea’s quest for FA Cup glory fell just short as they were beaten 1-0 by Manchester City in Saturday’s final despite a battling display at Wembley. Antoine Semenyo’s sublime flick proved to be the winner in the 72nd minute, as the Blues’ stubborn resistance was finally ended by a moment of sheer individual quality.
It was all about weathering City’s early pressure for the Blues in the first half, and they stood up to the challenge to come through it unscathed. Erling Haaland did have a tap-in ruled out for an offside in the build-up, and the Norwegian striker’s effort from the angle was comfortably blocked out by Robert Sanchez shortly before the break.
The match followed a similar pattern after half-time, with Semenyo coming within inches of opening the scoring within two minutes of the restart as he nodded over. Chelsea would get into the ascendency, though, and Moises Caicedo then went close with his own headed chance at the other end, but Rodri cleared the ball just short of the line.
However, with fewer than 20 minutes to play the Blues’ good work was undone by a moment of magic from Semenyo, who produced a magnificent flick into the bottom corner from Haaland’s cut-back. Enzo Fernandez almost levelled immediately, but he could only guide his improvised volley onto the top of the net.
The game was stretched from that point, but Chelsea were unable to find the clear opening they required. Abdukodir Khusanov survived a strong penalty shout after colliding with Jorrel Hato in the area, and Sanchez diverted Matheus Nunes’ angled effort onto the post to keep it at 1-0. Ultimately, though, it was City’s day under the arch.
GOAL rates Chelsea’s players from Wembley Stadium…
