Saturday, May 15, 2021

Leicester win FA Cup after beating Chelsea 1-0

 

Leicester City have won their first ever FA Cup after defeating Chelsea 1-0.

A moment of magic from man-of-the-match Youri Tielemans proved to be the difference, although there was late drama when the ball pin-balled into the Leicester net off two defenders after a touch from Ben Chilwell. The VAR, however, ruled Chilwell fractionally offside in the build-up to the incident in the 89th minute.

Around 20,000 fans were in attendance at Wembley stadium, as part of the government's pilot events for testing the gathering of large crowds to witness Leicester win their first FA Cup final in five attempts.

Chelsea will get an opportunity for some redemption as both sides face off again on Tuesday in a crunch fixture for Champions League qualification.

This season's final took place before the end of the Premier League season — the first time this happened since 2012-13, when Wigan Athletic beat Manchester City 1-0.

What happened?

In a cagey first half, neither side managed a single effort on target. The only notable incident occured when Jonny Evans, who was carrying a foot injury going into the match, had to come off on the 30-minute mark after aggravating the issue.

It remained a scrappy affair after the break as neither side was able to take command of the game. Leicester began pushing forward and managed a couple of half-chances for Caglar Soyuncu from viciously-delivered Tielemans crosses.

Tielemans, who dominated the midfield all game, then picked up the ball from 30 yards out. As the Chelsea players backed off him, the Belgium international strode calmly and let fly, with Leicester fans erupting in jubilation as his superb effort soared into the top corner.

In the 76th minute, former Leicester man Chilwell leapt highest to head a cross towards the bottom corner. He was denied, however, by a fine stop from Kasper Schmeichel.

Chelsea continued to push forward in search of an equaliser, but Leicester almost caught out Chelsea when Jamie Vardy harassed fellow veteran Thiago Silva following a ball over the top.

Schmeichel then made another stunning save with five minutes remaining, diving low to block a Mason Mount volley.

There was late drama, however, when Chilwell seemed to have equalised but had his effort ruled out for offside after a VAR review.

How did Leicester reach the final?

Brendan Rodgers’ side were rarely troubled en route to their first FA Cup final since 1969.

They beat Stoke City 4-0 in the third round, then overcome Brentford 3-1 at the following stage.

After that, they edged past Brighton 1-0, before beating Manchester United 3-1 in the quarter-finals.

In-form forward Kelechi Iheanacho’s winner against Southampton in the semi-finals put Leicester on course for their first trophy since winning the Premier League in 2015-16.

What does this mean for European qualification?

Victory for Leicester means they are guaranteed European football next season.

They have gained a Europa League spot through winning the FA Cup. If they still finish in the top five — — the domestic places for Champions and Europa League qualification — sixth place will be handed a Europa League spot.

What next?

Both sides will play again on May 18 as they battle to secure a top-four finish. Third-place Leicester currently sit two points above Chelsea before the crucial meeting at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.

On the final day of the season, Leicester host Tottenham while Chelsea take on Aston Villa.

Tuchel, however, will also be hoping to lift some silverware this season with his side taking on Manchester City in the Champions League final May 29.

For Tuchel, it will be a chance to go one better than he managed with his previous club Paris Saint-Germain last season — where his side lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich in the final. Chelsea will, meanwhile, have another opportunity to lift the most coveted prize in European football since their only triumph in the competition during the 2011-12 season.

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