Ruben Loftus-Cheek lashed at the ball, leaving Jack Butland no chance. Mason Mount shimmied, then prodded home the second. The Roman Abramovich era at Chelsea endures. His club will be back here on May 14. to play Liverpool, again.
Russian-owned Chelsea may be sold in the coming weeks but this remains the team assembled with Sibneft money and the coach appointed by Abramovich’s restless drive for success. There is no new name above the door just yet, meaning these are still the dying embers of his mission. Now Chelsea must face down Liverpool in the FA Cup final, the last marquee event of Abramovich’s time at the club. The line will then be drawn between this season and the next, between the past and an uncertain future.
Can they go out on a high? Do not rule it out. This was an often sluggish, yet hard-fought victory, and perhaps more impressive for that. Chelsea could have capitulated, could have let this, and their season, slip. They looked drained by their ultimately futile exertions in Madrid in midweek, but rallied sufficiently, late in the second-half, to dispatch a Crystal Palace side sadly short on ambition.
Chelsea claimed a 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace in a hard-fought FA Cup semi-final on Saturday afternoon
Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s superb strike from the edge of the box fired the Blues in front 20 minutes into the second half
There is plenty of talent in this Palace squad and who knows what they might have achieved had Patrick Vieira let them off the leash a little. Instead, they waited to hit Chelsea on the counter-attack and, in doing so, squandered what might have been a fine opportunity. If not exactly there for the taking, Chelsea might certainly have been vulnerable to a side with verve and speed. Palace have that, and tried to demonstrate it late in the second-half, but by then it was too late. Had Palace started as they finished, who knows? Chelsea were far too slow for the opening 45 minutes, and Jorginho had one of his crab-like turns in the heart of midfield. A better rhythm after half-time saw Chelsea take the game to Palace, and get the breakthroughs that left them comfortable by the end.
If only Palace’s approach had echoed that of their fans. They were brilliant and so much better than their team, sensing the specialness of the occasion and putting on a defiant show of flags, sound and coloured smoke. The team, disappointingly, couldn’t match it. Through the first-half and right up until the moment when the game was taken from them, the Crystal Palace supporters kept up a constant barrage of noise and enthusiasm which sometimes went to show that were not grasping the reality of then situation.
For, heavens, the early part of the game was dull and Palace’s contribution underwhelming. Barely a save, barely a chance, and at either end, too. Chelsea were patient, and Palace bided their time waiting for the counter. Except patience certainly wasn’t a virtue and the counter-attacks were very much like west coast trains this weekend: cancelled.
Loftus-Cheek broke the deadlock having come off the bench early on, sending Chelsea on their way to a third straight final
Mason Mount then produced a cool finish from inside the box to double their lead and give Palace a mountain to climb
Mount’s strike was enough to seal the west London club’s place in the final, where they will meet Liverpool next month
Tuchel’s men got over the line in the end after a gruelling Champions League clash with Real Madrid last week
Palace had their moments at Wembley but Vieira’s men were eventually outclassed after a bright start to the tie
So fast forward to the bit that mattered. The problem against an elite team such as Chelsea is that, no matter how tight the opposition keeps it, any mistake runs the risk of being punished. That is what happened after 65 minutes when Tyrick Mitchell surrendered possession. Kai Havertz was the beneficiary and his cross clipped Marc Guehi and deflected into the path of Loftus-Cheek.
It sat up sweetly and the midfielder’s contact was equally fine. It was a fierce hit through a busy penalty area and left the goalkeeper no chance, his first goal since November 22, 2020, playing for Fulham on loan, against Everton. In a Chelsea shirt, one would have to rewind to a Europa League semi-final second leg against Eintracht Frankfurt on May 9, 2019, under the reign of Maurizio Sarri. That’s three managers ago and almost three years. Maybe that’s why Loftus-Cheek is 26 and still struggling to claim a regular place.
Just five minutes later, and game over. Jordan Ayew lost the ball on the left, Timo Werner – who had another impressive game, albeit without scoring – passed inside to Mount and his first touch took him deftly through Palace’s defensive barrier before he poked the ball past Butland. It was his 12th goal in all competitions this season, the best return of his career. It was also the first time two English players had scored for Chelsea in the same game at Wembley since Peter Housemann and Ian Hutchinson in the 1970 FA Cup final. And they’ve not exactly been strangers to this place since then.
There could have been a third. With a minute to go, Romelu Lukaku hit a post from another Werner pass, and Hakim Ziyech couldn’t convert the rebound. Some of the names on the field by then provided another explanation for Chelsea’s supremacy. On came Lukaku, Ziyech, Thiago Silva, N’Golo Kante. Some bench. Via the loan system, Chelsea could deny Palace one of their best players this season, Conor Gallagher, too. That helps.
Of course, Palace had their moments, mainly from set pieces, with Cheikhou Kouyate and Joachim Andersen going close in the second-half. In the first, a defensive header from a free-kick did not go the distance and dropped to Kouyate, who returned it with venom. Edouard Mendy made an excellent stop, getting down sharply to his left. Imagine picking your best goalkeeper for an FA Cup semi-final. What a strange man Tuchel is: it’s almost as if he wants to win it.
Joachim Andersen spurned a glorious chance for the south London outfit from a corner in the second half
In the end they came up short in this last-four clash and will perhaps rue not rising to the occasion like their fans
Chelsea comfortably set up another date of destiny with Liverpool and a third straight FA Cup final appearance
Outside the penalty area, meanwhile, fatigue showed, particularly early on when Chelsea struggled for forward momentum. Mateo Kovacic made his excuses and left after 25 minutes, and plainly the teams that travelled to the Spanish capital this week looked below par in their outings at Wembley, if one factors in Manchester City’s start against Liverpool. It was Kovacic’s disappearance that made way for Loftus-Cheek, though, so every cloud…
Even so, it took Chelsea 29 minutes to muster a chance and when it arrived Werner’s chip was completely miskicked by captain Cesar Azpilicueta, spinning off his boot tamely for a goal-kick. He was in a good position, too.
Shortly after, Mount had a shot but again it wasn’t struck right and flew harmlessly over the bar. Still, this was a big win and it may yet be a big finish.
The one negative was an incident in the 38th minute when Havertz was booked by referee Anthony Taylor for a blatant dive under no pressure from Guehi, who actually withdrew his leg. He may pay for that between now and the end of the season. Good luck getting a decision. Referees watch television too, you know, if they weren’t asleep by then.
Relive Sportsmail’s live blog of the FA Cup semi-final clash between Chelsea vs Crystal Palace below.
The final whistle sounds and Chelsea have reached a third consecutive FA Cup final!
Palace were the better side in the first half, yet it was Tuchel whose words clearly made more of an impact at the break, as the Blues then took control of proceedings in the second.
Loftus-Cheek’s terrific strike sent them on their way, before Mount’s cool finish sealed a comfortable victory in the end.
It will be Tuchel vs Klopp again in the second domestic cup final of the season!
In the midst of that frenzy, three minutes of stoppage time were added on here at Wembley.
How have Chelsea not added a third?!
Lukaku brings the ball down and is dispossessed by Guehi, but his tackle sends the ball straight to the feet of Werner on the left of the box.
He pulls it across to Lukaku, whose shot clips the post and rebounds to Ziyech, and his effort is then cleared off the line. Incredible!
Palace are upping the ante in search of a late comeback, but time is running out and you just get the feeling that their best chances have already passed them by.
It will take something miraculous for them to send this one to extra-time now…
There’s another substitution for Palace, with Luka Milivojevic on in the place of Kouyate.
Chelsea make their fifth change of the afternoon as Thiago Silva comes on for Christensen.
Not the worst sub to have in your locker.
Loftus-Cheek and Mount have given Chelsea breathing space in this semi-final.
What a chance for Palace to get back into this tie!
Ayew flicks the ball on from a corner and it falls to Andersen at the back post, but despite being completely unmarked he fails to connect properly with the header and it goes behind.
That was a huge chance for the south Londoners.
Tuchel then makes three substitutions for Chelsea. N’Golo Kante, Romelu Lukaku and Hakim Ziyech have replaced Jorginho, Havertz and the goalscorer Mount.
Mount doubles Chelsea’s lead with a cool finish from close range!
Werner does brilliantly to find him in the box, and the England international tees himself up with the perfect touch before slotting into the bottom-right corner.
The Blues have one foot in the FA Cup final.
Ayew feeds Zaha in the box and the Ivory Coast star swivels before sending the ball to the back post.
Olise picks it up and tries to weave his way through two Chelsea defenders inside the box before crossing, but Christensen eventually clears away.
Vieira issues an immediate response to that Chelsea opener as Jeffrey Schlupp and James McArthur make way for Michael Olise and Christian Benteke.
Loftus-Cheek blasts Chelsea in front at Wembley!
Azpilicueta dispossesses Mitchell just outside Palace’s area and the ball eventually works its way to Havertz, whose cross is deflected to Loftus-Cheek on the edge of the box.
With his first touch, the midfielder connects beautifully to unleash a shot straight into the top-right corner and fire Chelsea ahead.
Finally the deadlock has been broken!
Zaha tries to beat Christensen over on the right and the Chelsea defender gets the ball caught in his feet, allowing the Palace man to whip in an inviting cross which is cleared behind for a corner.
Kouyate gets a great head to the resulting set-piece, yet his effort trickles agonisingly wide of the post. That was close!
Chelsea have completely dominated the ball in the opening 15 minutes of this half, but like in the first they’re doing very little with it.
It’s tough to see what the game plan is going forward. Palace will happily sit back and defend these sideway passes all day.
Vieira makes his first change of the day as Jordan Ayew replaces Mateta.
Loftus-Cheek plays a lovely one-two with Jorginho and picks out Werner in the box.
The forward races through on goal and is stopped in his tracks by Kouyate, with VAR concluding that no foul was committed in the process.
After some neat interplay with Werner and Havertz, Mount takes a touch out of his feet on the edge of the box and sends a long-range effort flying over the bar.
Chelsea kick us off for the second half. There were no changes for either side at the break.
There’s the half-time whistle.
It wasn’t exactly the most action-packed 45 minutes you’ll see this season, but Palace will be the happier of the two sides at the interval.
Vieira’s men look fairly comfortable at Wembley. They’ve created the better opportunities, been more assured when in possession and given little away at the back.
Chelsea desperately need to go up another gear after the break. They lacked inspiration in that half and will likely come unstuck here if that continues in the second.
There will be two minutes of added time at the end of the first half.
Palace will be happy with the way this half has gone so far. They’ve been the better side in the opening 40 minutes.
Chelsea look devoid of ideas in the final third and have given away possession far too cheaply.
Havertz is released in the box and goes down while seemingly anticipating contact from Guehi. Referee Anthony Taylor rightfully books the German for a clear dive.
The biggest chance of the day so far falls to Palace!
After Reece James brought down Zaha, Eze sends in a free-kick which is cleared to Cheikhou Kouyate, whose effort is parried away by Mendy.
The ball falls straight to the feet of Andersen and his shot appears to clip the post, but he was in an offside position and the linesman raises his flag.
Marcos Alonso sends a cross deep into the Palace box and Tyrick Mitchell clears it straight to Jorginho on the edge of the area.
The midfielder sets it for Mount, whose rushed shot sails over the bar.
Palace break from a Chelsea corner and Zaha spins Loftus-Cheek on the halfway line before Christensen intervenes. Joel Ward then misplaces his pass when trying to release the winger again.
After the brief scare, Timo Werner follows it up for Chelsea by heading down the other end and whipping a dangerous ball across goal, but it comes too quickly for Azpilicueta at the back post.
Eberechi Eze lofts a free-kick into the Chelsea area and an unmarked Andersen comes very close to getting on the end of it. Edouard Mendy eventually collects, however, and the chance goes begging.
Kovacic’s day is over in less than half an hour, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek replacing the injured midfielder.
Antonio Rudiger whips a ball into the box and Kai Havertz’s header flies straight at Butland.
Kovacic is now down with an injury and it looks like he’ll have to be replaced early on.
It’s fair to say today’s semi-final hasn’t exploded into life in the same fashion as yesterday’s…
We’re still waiting on a shot here at Wembley!
Jorginho tries to pick out Cesar Azpilicueta in the box, but the Chelsea captain fails to get on the end of it and Palace have a goal kick.
Reece James releases Werner in a threatening position on the right, only for Joachim Andersen to slide in and make a vital interception. Solid defending.
Mateo Kovacic floats a pass into Timo Werner, who chests it down and tees up Mason Mount on the edge of the area.
Mount takes a touch out of his feet and looks to whip the ball into the box, but it goes straight into the hands of Jack Butland.
Wilfried Zaha turns and threads a brilliant through ball into the path of Jean-Philippe Mateta, who tries to race through on goal but is thwarted by Andreas Christensen.
Palace are enjoying the early possession here, but it’s a fairly cagey start from both sides as they get to grips with the occasion.
Peep peep!
Both teams take the knee before Crystal Palace get us underway at Wembley.
The two teams are emerging from the tunnel, the atmosphere is at fever pitch and another FA Cup semi-final is now upon us.
Buckle up for a fascinating 90 minutes of football! (Plus extra-time and penalties if needed…)
Here’s your 10-minute warning! Kick-off is on the horizon.
Chelsea have also rocked up at the national stadium and are now going through their warm-up.
Palace’s recent record against Chelsea makes grim reading for the south London club, who are without a win over their London foes since October 2017.
The Blues have claimed nine straight victories over the Eagles, all coming in the Premier League, and scored 23 goals in that period.
Palace only have five goals to show for those last nine outings, but will they add to that tally today?
Crystal Palace stars have arrived at Wembley, with the likes of Marc Guehi and Wilfried Zaha checking out the hallowed turf before this afternoon’s clash.
Crystal Palace XI (4-3-3): Butland; Ward, Guehi, Andersen, Mitchell; Kouyate, McArthur (C), Schlupp; Zaha, Eze, Mateta.
Subs: Guaita, Clyne, Kelly, Tomkins, Milivojevic, Olise, Ayew, Edouard, Benteke.
Chelsea XI (3-4-3): Mendy; Azpilicueta (C), Christensen, Rudiger; James, Jorginho, Kovacic; Mount, Havertz, Werner.
Subs: Kepa, Silva, Sarr, Kante, Loftus-Cheek, Saul, Pulisic, Ziyech, Lukaku.
Palace will fancy their chances of springing an upset regardless of Chelsea’s Bernabeu heroics, having enjoyed an incredible season so far under Patrick Vieira.
The Eagles have a top-half Premier League finish in their sights after taking 37 points from a possible 93, with Sunday’s defeat away at Leicester their first in almost three months.
Vieira has brought life back to Selhurst Park and can turn an impressive debut campaign into a historic one by reaching the FA Cup final this afternoon.
Thomas Tuchel will be looking for his side to bounce back from their devastating Champions League exit against Real Madrid last Tuesday night.
Chelsea stormed into a 3-0 lead at the Bernabeu, overturning a 3-1 aggregate deficit against all odds and leaving them within touching distance of a sensational comeback.
That was before Rodrygo levelled with 10 minutes remaining and Karim Benzema headed home the winner in extra-time, meaning the Blues’ spectacular efforts were eventually in vain.
But if they are in anywhere near the same form at Wembley today, it could be a long afternoon for Palace…
Meanwhile, Palace are looking to advance to the final for the first time since 2016, when they suffered an agonising extra-time defeat against Man United.
Here’s how they reached the semis.
Third Round: Millwall 1-2 Crystal Palace
Fourth Round: Crystal Palace 2-0 Hartlepool
Fifth Round: Crystal Palace 2-1 Stoke
Quarter-final: Crystal Palace 4-0 Everton
Chelsea will be aiming to reach their third consecutive FA Cup final this afternoon, here’s how they made it to the last four.
Third Round: Chelsea 5-1 Chesterfield
Fourth Round: Chelsea 2-1 (aet) Plymouth Argyle
Fifth Round: Luton 2-3 Chelsea
Quarter-final: Middlesbrough 0-2 Chelsea
Good afternoon and welcome to Sportsmail’s live coverage of Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final between Chelsea and Crystal Palace.
Liverpool became the first side to reach next month’s final on Saturday, blitzing Manchester City in a sensational first half which helped them record a 3-2 win over their Premier League rivals.
The Reds will now have all eyes on Sunday’s second semi-final at Wembley, which sees Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea lock horns with London rivals Palace under the famous arch.
It promises to be a fascinating afternoon at the national stadium, and kick-off will be upon us at 4:30pm.
Oliver Salt
Host commentator