Man City 1-0 Chelsea LIVE RESULT: Bernardo Silva’s late strike secures City’s spot in FA Cup final – reaction
MANCHESTER CITY have beaten Chelsea 1-0 in the FA Cup semi-final.
Bernardo Silva was the difference-maker at Wembley after his 83rd-minute strike booked City's spot in this year's final.
Pep Guardiola's side are still eyeing a Double this campaign, with the Manchester outfit in Pole position for the Premier League title and are now one win away from back-to-back FA Cup triumphs.
- Match result: Man City 1-0 Chelsea
- Man City starting line-up: Ortega Moreno, Walker, Stones, Akanji, Ake, Rodri, De Bruyne, Bernardo, Foden, Grealish, Alvarez
- Chelsea starting line-up: Petrovic; Gusto, Chalobah, Silva, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Madueke, Palmer, Gallagher; Jackson
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Sitters
Two of the three sitters from Nicolas Jackson this afternoon...
Pep fury
Pep Guardiola was livid in his post-match words to the BBC, slamming the decision for his team to play today.
He pointed to the Coventry vs Man Utd game tomorrow where neither side played in midweek - neither did Chelsea.
He ranted to the BBC panel: "It's unacceptable to let us play today.
"It's impossible, for the health of the players. It's not normal. It's unacceptable. 120 minutes, the emotions of Madrid, the way we lose, honestly.
"I know this country is special [with the FA Cup] but it's for the health of the players. I don't understand how we survived today.
Do you think demanding will change something? The only power I have I say here. Why don't we play tomorrow. Chelsea, Manchester United, Coventry didn't play midweek.
"I thought a lot. I remember two seasons ago we had Dortmund on Wednesday - and Liverpool on Saturday [in the FA Cup semi]. They were 3-0 up at half-time. They destroyed us.
"Mentally so tough to recover. Rodri, the way he played today, Kyle, who was injured for a few weeks, I don't understand how they survived.
"We want to play football. We love to play football but it's too much.
"We defend our trophy. We'll be here."
Match report
ZERO-TO-HERO Bernardo Silva roared “make mine a Double instead” with a late winner for jaded Manchester City.
Silva’s embarrassing penalty had set City on the road to the agonising Champions League defeat on spot-kicks by Real Madrid that ended their dreams of back-to-back Trebles.
But the Portugal international put himself on the road to redemption by delivering the decisive moment for Pep Guardiola’s ragged-looking team.
Despite looking physically and emotionally drained by their midweek exertions, City found a way to win and may well lift the Premier League trophy again before being back here next month for the final.
Chelsea suffered yet more Wembley agony after losing the Carabao Cup final to Liverpool in February in the dying minutes of extra-time.
That makes it ten defeats in their last 13 since the reopening of the national stadium.
Bounced back
Bernardo Silva was delighted to 'put things right' after a tough week.
Speaking after the game, he told BBC: "Very happy after a very frustrating week for all of us, for me personally. The good thing is in football at Man City, you play every three days.
"Every three days you have the chance to put things right and now we have a chance to win another trophy.
"Throughout the years, we've done it may times and today, the team showed a lot of character."
Unbeaten run
Man City now 29 games unbeaten in all competitions.
No, the midweek penalty shootout loss doesn't count - they drew the game itself.
The 23 wins and six draws makes it the longest unbeaten run in the club's history.
Match stats
The numbers behind the game, with not too much happening in front of goal.
City's three shots on target all coming in the second half.
Wasteful Chelsea
As mentioned before, Chelsea's undoing was in front of goal and their lack of a competent striker.
Nicolas Jackson had THREE unbelievable chances with the score at 0-0 and fluffed every single one of them.
City look tired, jaded and out of ideas and Chelsea still stuttered and couldn't get past.
FT: Man City 1-0 Chelsea
Bernardo Silva goes from Champions League zero to FA Cup hero as Manchester City reached another FA Cup final.
Silva's stupid penalty was the catalyst to City losing out to Real Madrid in midweek.
And in truth he was anonymous for 82 minutes here too.
But he popped up with seven minutes left to smash City into the showpiece at the end of the season.
FULL TIME!!
MANCHESTER CITY REACH YET ANOTHER FA CUP FINAL!
Man City 1-0 Chelsea
Man City 1-0 Chelsea
90+8. Absolutely dreadful from Mudryk.
Not entirely sure why he was allowed to take it. But he overhits it by miles and it drifts away for a goal kick. A terrible, terrible waste.
And that might just do it.
Man City 1-0 Chelsea
90+7. One final chance for Chelsea it looks like!
Walker leans on Mudryk who is running down the left and the Chelsea winger goes down and wins a free kick.
It's a few yards away from the byline on the left. The big men are up from the back....
Man City 1-0 Chelsea
90+6' Palmer floats an aimless ball into the box which City deal with.
De Bruyne drives forward and takes the ball into the corner once more.
Man City 1-0 Chelsea
90+6. Foden and Bernardo both look to take Chilwell out as he darts down the left.
Eventually he is bumped over. Chance for Chelsea to flood the box.
Man City 1-0 Chelsea
90+3. City keeping the ball for fun at the moment and Chelsea can't get it back.
They're quite happy to run the clock down at this stage.
Man City 1-0 Chelsea
90+1' City deal with Mudryk's corner and subsequent cross from the left, which is overhit.
Goal kick, City.
Man City 1-0 Chelsea
EIGHT MINUTES ADDED!
Man City 1-0 Chelsea
HUGE CHANCE FOR CHELSEA!
90. Chilwell is in behind down the left and has Sterling to pick out in the middle
And he's free - nobody goes with him. But Chilwell continues to run and run with it and Dias gets in to block his attempted cross.
Chelsea corner though!
Man City 1-0 Chelsea
88. Substitutions from both sides:
Man City
- OFF: Alvarez
- ON: Bobb
Chelsea
- OFF: Cucurella & Fernandez
- ON: Chilwell & Sterling
Man City 1-0 Chelsea
87. Kevin de Bruyne and Enzo Fernandez are both shown YELLOW CARDS.
KDB with a poor tackle on Enzo who appears to have a kick out at him on the way to ground. So De Bruyne has a push at him and Michael Oliver books them both.
Man City 1-0 Chelsea
84. He's been pretty rubbish for 83 minutes but Bernardo Silva comes up with the big moment!
Doku slides De Bruyne in down the left side of the area.
Nobody tracks his run and he fires the ball across goal with his left foot and it misses everyone at the near post.
It falls to Silva 10 yards out on the right and he smashes the ball at goal and it flies in off Cucurella.
City with a priceless lead!
GOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLL!!!!
MANCHESTER CITY LEAD THROUGH BERNARDO SILVA!!
Man City 0-0 Chelsea
83. Phil Foden has been shown a YELLOW CARD.
Must be for something he said as Chelsea again took their time from a goal kick.
Man City 0-0 Chelsea
82. Patient play from City. Albeit they've overplayed and slowly.
It's worked to Akanji of all people on the right-hand side of the area.
He picks out Alvarez with a pass 15 yards from goal and he strikes it first time, 15 yards over the bar.
Man City 0-0 Chelsea
Here was that potential handball from Grealish a short time ago too....
Man City 0-0 Chelsea
79. Chelsea go to their bench for a double change.
- OFF: Madueke & Gusto
- ON: Mudryk & Disasi
