Chelsea 1-0 Manchester United
Chelsea won the FA Cup at a sun-drenched Wembley today, thanks to a world class performance by their talisman Eden Hazard.
A first half penalty was enough to win it in a tight game where football betting pundits predicted one goal would be enough. Cup finals aren’t always the best football games, but the second half lived up to expectations as Manchester United fought hard for an equaliser. And late goals always send the live betting odds flying… but it just didn’t come.
It was Chelsea’s day.
The big team news was that Marcus Rashford started, with Romelu Lukaku benched, and the young England star tried desperately to impress his critical manager but with little success. In a first half, hard fought but with few chances, Chelsea had the better of it while Manchester United struggled to get into any sort of stride; and then that pivotal moment came when Eden Hazard danced into the penalty area to be upended by Phil Jones, and the Belgian picked himself up to calmly to send David de Gea the wrong way, and the blue half of Wembley wild.
United came out for the second half with much more intent and, as Lukaku warmed up on the touchline, Rashford had the Red Devils’ first shot on target, but straight at Thibaut Courtois. And then, after the Chelsea keeper made a superb save from a Jones header, Alexis Sanchez pounced to poke the ball home, only to be ruled offside.
Then, as the tempo increased further in the hot Wembley sunshine, Marcos Alonso forced a great save from De Gea, and Ashley Young was lucky to get away with a handball in the box. But as play swept to the other end Courtois saved again in a one on one with Rashford.
The Red Devils continued to probe and Paul Pogba had a glorious chance on 82 minutes with a free header which he nodded agonisingly wide, and that was the end of United’s hopes.
If, and it’s a big ‘if’, Antonio Conte is on his way, the Chelsea coach can go with a smile!
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