David Hytner was at Wembley, and his report has landed. Thanks for reading this MBM.
A philosophical Mauricio Pochettino talks to the BBC. “We were not able to be clinical in front of goal … we created many chances … overall we were a little bit better … we had to be clinical and we didn’t do that today … last Monday we scored six, today we were not capable … that is football … it was a very tough game, we played a very good team … it wasn’t easy but we played a good game and competed really well … we have to take the positive things looking forward … now the focus is to play next Tuesday [in the Premier League at Arsenal] … we will not have too many days to recover … it will be another tough game … we will try to be in a position close to being in Europe.”
BBC pundit Alan Shearer offers a little pushback, pointing out that Guardiola “can change your squad around and play some different players, you don’t have to play so many players in the game on Wednesday, you made what, four changes today?”
Pep replies: “I thought a lot but I remember two or three years ago we played in Dortmund on Wednesday … we travelled … Saturday against Liverpool [in the 2022 semi] we made a lot of changes and it’s 3-0 at half-time, they destroyed us … we saved face in the second half … so I changed a lot … I thought a lot … it was impossible … it is mentally so, so tough … Rodri, the way he played today … Kyle Walker … I don’t understand how they survive … the first round of the Champions League [next season] is the same day as the Carabao Cup [shrugs theatrically] … we want to play football, we love to play football, but it is too much.”
Guardiola calls schedule 'unacceptable ... not normal'
Pep Guardiola speaks to the BBC … and he is not happy. “It is unacceptable. It’s really unacceptable that Coventry, United and Chelsea don’t play in the week and they let us play today … next week on Friday would be better … to have recovery … it’s impossible … for the health of the players … it is not normal … honestly, it’s not normal … because I win, I have the courage to tell you … in defeat I will shut up … it is not possible … it is unacceptable for 120 minutes … the emotion of Madrid, the way we lose and everything … I know [the FA Cup in] this country is special for many things, but it’s for the health of the players … I don’t understand how we survived today … do you think our demanding is going to change something? … the only power I have is to say here [on the BBC] … it’s not going to change anything, I know for many years … why you play today and not tomorrow when Coventry, United and Chelsea don’t play in the midweek? … why? … why not one more day for the health of the players … tell me how!”
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Bernardo Silva, who fluffed his lines against Real Madrid but replied in style this evening, talks to the BBC. “I am very happy after a very frustrating week for all of us and for me personally … the good thing in football is that if you play for Manchester City, you play every three days … so you have the chance for a bit of revenge and to put things right … we tried to do that even though we were very tired … we are in another final with another chance for a trophy … I am happy with the goal … the way this team reacts to disappointment is always in the best way … today the team showed a lot of character … for sure Coventry and Man United will be a very good game … we are very happy that we are back at Wembley.”
What a way to bounce back from Champions League heartache! Manchester City were far from their best today: Chelsea had the majority of the chances, while on another day, another referee may have awarded them a penalty or two – Mauricio Pochettino is having a strong word with the referee to that effect. But there’s a reason why City are a winning machine: when a big chance comes along, more often than not they take it. Compare and contrast the several rushes of blood to the head felt by Nicolas Jackson, with the calm, considered approach of Bernardo Silva. In the end, there’s the difference. City celebrate wildly – they desperately want to follow their famous treble with a double – and Pochettino, his point made, offers Pep Guardiola and his men his warm and sincere congratulations. Chelsea go another season without silverware; City will face either Manchester United or Coventry City in the final on 25 May.
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FULL TIME: Manchester City 1-0 Chelsea
As the Manchester City fans do the Poznan, the whistle goes! The champions and holders are in another final!
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90 min +8: Mudryk romps down the left and is shoved from behind by Walker. A free kick just outside the box. This is going to be it for Chelsea, who load the box before Mudryk takes and … lumps a witless free kick over everyone’s head and out for a goal kick. Oh my goodness. Oh dear.
90 min +7: Chelsea do indeed launch long, but City come away with the ball on the break. De Bruyne has options in the middle but decides to take it to the corner instead. The professional’s professional.
90 min +6: Chilwell drives down the left and wins a free kick just inside the City half, Silva diving in needlessly. A chance to line up on the edge of the City box and launch long.
90 min +5: Kevin De Bruyne is named player of the match by the BBC’s Jermaine Jenas.
90 min +4: Chelsea can’t get hold of the ball. City the pass masters. The clock ticks on. Poor old Mauricio Pochettino, not for the first time at Wembley this season, looks a broken man.
90 min +3: Now it’s City’s turn to take their time over a restart. Chelsea hoist by their own petard.
90 min +2: De Bruyne tries to release Doku into the box down the left but uncharacteristically clanks out of play for a goal kick.
90 min +1: The first of eight additional minutes passes. The tension at Wembley is palpable.
90 min: Chilwell romps down the left. Sterling is clear in the middle! But the low cross comes a little too late, allowing Rodri to deflect the ball out for a corner. Nothing comes of the set piece, other than a careless De Bruyne lunge on Chilwell just outside the box. No contact, play on.
88 min: City replace Alvarez with Bobb, while Chelsea make a double roll of the dice, swapping Cucurella and Fernandez for Chilwell and Sterling, the latter coming on to pantomime boos.
86 min: That’s a real hammer blow for Chelsea, who have probably been the better side. They’ve certainly had the lion’s share of the chances. But Doku has been marvellous since coming on, and he’s been instrumental in helping City to unlock Chelsea’s defence. Meanwhile Fernandez and De Bruyne tangle, and both are booked. De Bruyne’s scissor-style tackle from behind wasn’t the best.
GOAL! Manchester City 1-0 Chelsea (Silva 84)
City break the deadlock! Doku, who has beefed up City’s attack since coming on, dribbles down the left and feeds De Bruyne on the inside. De Bruyne crosses low and hard into the six-yard box. Petrovic manages to deflect it away from goal, but only to Silva, who takes a nanosecond to work out the dimensions before slotting into the bottom right!
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83 min: Petrovic takes his sweet time over the restart, and Foden gets into the referee’s ear. Foden goes into the book. He’s not happy. But that’s a fleeting problem, because …
82 min: City probe this way and that, and briefly threaten to open Chelsea up. Doku’s brilliance from the left sets up Rodri, but the midfielder declines the opportunity to shoot from the edge of the D, instead switching the play to the right. Silva tees up Alvarez, who slices wildly over the bar. What a waste.
80 min: Chelsea make a double change, swapping out Gusto and Madueke for Disasi and Mudryk.
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79 min: Gallagher’s corner is cleared by Dias. The ball’s returned into the mixer and Palmer sticks out a telescopic leg, but can only divert it wide, and turns out he was offside anyway.
78 min: It shouldn’t be a corner, by the way. The ball came off Akanji, then off the back of Gusto’s trailing leg. But here we are. Ortega is good to continue.
77 min: Gusto is clearly fine now because here he is barrelling down the right flank to win a corner. Before it can be taken, Ortega goes down. On comes the trainer.
75 min: Doku drops a shoulder to get past Gusto on the left. He’s upended for his trouble, but the referee waves play on. You wouldn’t say this has been Michael Oliver’s best game.
74 min: Gusto comes back. Madueke has a speculative shot from 25 yards blocked. Really not sure how this is still goalless. It’s been an entertaining game.
73 min: Gusto gets up. He’s good to continue, and waits by the side of the pitch as the corner’s taken, and Silva gets fouled. Pressure off.
72 min: Doku has been electric since coming on. He makes his way down the left past Gusto and wins a City corner. Before it can be taken, Gusto requires some treatment. “The Grealish handball sums up all that is wrong with VAR,” argues Rick Harris. “Absolutely clearly hits Grealish on the arm which is away from his body and moves towards the ball. The ref should have been told to go look at the pitch-side screen but his mate in the VAR booth doesn’t want to embarrass him so they pretend it didn’t touch the City player. Shambles.”
70 min: Doku advances down the left and cuts back for Alvarez, who cushions a ball into the path of De Bruyne. The City playmaker opens his body and whistles a first-time shot across Petrovic and wide right. City beginning to find themselves.
69 min: Doku nearly punishes them immediately with a powerful dribble down the inside-left channel. His low drive is kicked clear by Petrovic.
68 min: Another huge chance for Chelsea goes begging. Palmer pings Caicedo free down the right with a glorious turn and flick. Caicedo looks for Jackson in the middle, but gets the ball stuck in between his feet and eventually overhits a scooped cross. This is beginning to get old. If Chelsea don’t win this semi-final, they’ll have regrets.
67 min: Grealish eventually takes his place in the dugout, having said his piece at some length and with great passion. “Quite agree with Jonny Bull (51 min),” writes Pablo Zadunaisky. “What should this process be called? Late Wegnerization? Or should we say the teams become... ozilized?”
65 min: Grealish, displeased rather than injured, wanders off, to be replaced by Doku. He immediately gets in the assistant referee’s ear over that Caicedo challenge. He is fuming.
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63 min: Caicedo crashes into Grealish and catches his knee. He certainly doesn’t get out of the way with his follow-through. Already on a booking, he’s taking a serious risk. Grealish stays down. He’s in pain and not happy. He doesn’t accept Caicedo’s apology.
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61 min: Chelsea break upfield from the corner. It’s Jackson versus Walker in a high-paced race down the inside-right channel! Jackson looks likely to get ahead of his opponent, but is unbalanced by a very meaty shoulder charge, before falling in the box. Chelsea want a penalty, but they’re not getting one. It looked a hard but fair challenge, though it was right on the edge of legality. Walker certainly took a chance, because anything mistimed would have been super-costly. The Grealish incident looked more like a spot kick, to be fair.
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60 min: Grealish gets involved up the other end this time, as he snaffles a loose ball and advances towards the Chelsea box. He shoots. Deflected by Chalobah’s block. Corner coming up … but nothing comes of it.
58 min: Alvarez is yellow-carded for not retreating at a garden-variety free kick. What a pointless booking.
56 min: Grealish’s arm was by his side … but well away from his body. Opinions will vary, but you can file that under Seen Them Given. Also under Nobody Knows Anything. VAR says no … but Chelsea don’t even get the corner. Grealish has the good grace to look a little sheepish.
55 min: Palmer takes. A fierce shot deflects through the wall and wide right. That came off Grealish’s hand. VAR will take a look.
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54 min: Madueke shimmies down the inside-right channel and is clumsily checked by Grealish. A free kick in a dangerous position, just to the right of the D.
53 min: City finally put Petrovic to serious work! Grealish glides down the inside-left channel and into the box. He rolls across for Foden, who slams a first-time shot towards the bottom left. The Chelsea keeper gets down well to parry with a strong hand. City keep the pressure on and win another corner; again the set piece is a waste of time. but that’s better from City!
51 min: City win a corner down the right. Foden takes, but it’s no good, and easily cleared. The champions have been strangely blunt so far. “Much as all species trend towards the crab, all possession based football teams slowly morph into late period Wenger Arsenal,” argues Jonny Bull in an email with the subject heading ‘Carcinization and Guardiola’.
49 min: Chelsea have come out flying. Cucurella nearly releases Jackson down the left with a cute pass, but Walker holds his position. Then Jackson is found in space down the middle by Gallagher. He opens his body and aims a low curler towards the bottom right. Ortega parries. Jackson has had two big chances now … and make that three, because the ball comes back into the box from the right by Palmer, and Jackson heads weakly at Ortega. He really should have scored.
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47 min: Madueke lashes a wild effort high and wide from distance. “City look cooked,” suggests Rick Harris. “Chelsea really should be ahead and they might come to regret their lack of the killer instinct when big chances come their way.”
46 min: Walker’s studs make contact with Gallagher’s lower back as the pair contest a high ball. It looked slightly unnecessary … but to be fair, Gallagher is more than happy to accept Walker’s subsequent apology.
Chelsea get the second half underway. City have made one half-time swap, replacing Stones with Dias. A reminder that if this doesn’t get settled during the next 45 minutes plus stoppage time, we’ll get 30 minutes of extra time and possibly penalties.
Half-time long read, courtesy of David Wall. “The FA, among others, have been fretting for years about the cup losing its prestige and specialness, but they’re the most culpable for that because they’ve systematically diluted the challenge in what is, officially, ‘the FA Challenge Cup’.
“If they really want to restore it to former glories then they should roll back all of the changes made over the last 20 years or so. So rather than no replays, you have the possibility of endless replays, neutral venues for semi-finals (there are enough large capacity stadiums in London now that using Wembley is never necessary even if a semi-final involves two London clubs (the justification for Spurs - Arsenal at Wembley in 1991)) and a 3pm kick off for the final, which is the last game of the domestic season.
“I appreciate the point about reducing the number of matches for players, but that just means that managers will have to be clever with rotating their squads. And if that means playing a weakened side sometimes then so be it, it just means that they’re less likely to win. It’s supposed to be difficult, a challenge, to win. Pretty soon it’ll be just another run-of-the-mill competition and that will only make the bigger clubs more rather than less likely to lose interest.”
Preach on, brother.
HALF TIME: Manchester City 0-0 Chelsea
The keepers haven’t had too much to do, and yet both teams have looked lively in attack. It’s just not quite happened at the sharp end for either. A better game than the scoreline suggests.
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45 min: Finally a yellow card, as Caicedo grabs a handful of the in-flight De Bruyne’s shirt. Chelsea’s all-action midfielder teetering on the tightrope now.
43 min: Foden goes marauding down the inside left and is hacked in the agricultural style by Caicedo, who really should be going into the referee’s notebook … but isn’t. A free kick just to the left of the D. Foden floats to the far stick, and out of play for a goal kick. It’s not really clicking for City so far.
42 min: Grealish sashays down the left before slipping a pass inside for Foden, who attempts an intricate one-two with De Bruyne on the edge of the Chelsea box. It doesn’t quite come off. Nearly.
40 min: Chelsea stroke it around the back in confident fashion. Suddenly a long ball’s whisked down the right for Madueke, who keeps it in play by the byline spectacularly. However the resulting cross is chested down calmly by Walker at the far stick and Ortega claims.
38 min: Palmer would have been within his rights to go down as he passed Rodri, by the way. There was a light clip and a hand around the waist. It’d have been soft, but he’d have certainly given the referee and VAR operative a decision to make, put it that way.
37 min: Jackson and Madueke are momentarily in a two-on-one situation, but their interchanges are clumsy and the decisions poor. The move breaks down. But Chelsea come again fast, Palmer dancing in from the right and gliding past Rodri. He opens his body and aims to pass one into the bottom left, but Ortega isn’t having that. City clear.
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35 min: Madueke enters the City box from the right and jinks his way to the edge of the six-yard box, whereupon things momentarily open up for him to shoot. Which he does, only for Stones to arrive from nowhere and block brilliantly. Both teams are getting closer and closer to that elusive opening goal.
34 min: Silva drifts in from the right. He’s got options in the middle, but opts to look for the top-left corner instead. Let’s just say his attempted curler is better than his penalty earlier in the week, and leave it at that.
32 min: Akanji and Ake try to deliver it from the aforementioned corner, but run the ball out of play down the inside-left flank. Petrovic then takes his sweet time over the restart, displeasing City as he faffs. The referee is made aware.
31 min: Cucurella attempts to find Jackson in the middle but his low cross doesn’t get past Ortega. Then City go up the other end, Grealish and De Bruyne combining down the left to win a corner. This is great fun and surely a goal is coming from somewhere soon.
29 min: Jackson is sent scampering clear down the middle of the park by Fernandez. He’s onside, having made the run from his own half. City all over the shop! Except for Ortega and Stones, that is, who combine to push the striker wide left as he tries to round the keeper and slot. Jackson doesn’t have the confidence to shoot from a tight angle, with Stones on the line, and checks back. The chance is gone.
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27 min: Alvarez swings a City corner in from the left. Cucurella clears. City come again, Grealish curling in from the same flank. Foden goes for a header but misses. Alvarez, coming in behind from the right, hooks goalwards; Cucurella hooks clear. Then the offside flag goes up against Foden, who became active when he clearly went for the ball. City getting closer and closer, though.
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26 min: Fernandez clips Rodri from behind. He gets away without a yellow, like De Bruyne before him. Both teams have had one now.
24 min: Chelsea are giving as good as they’re getting. Madueke releases Gusto into space down the right. A low cross is blocked, then an offside flag goes up. A nice to-and-fro to this.
22 min: City are beginning to make chances. Grealish cuts in from the left and looks for Alvarez in the middle. Alvarez, on the penalty spot, can’t control. Chelsea then launch a counter, only for Jackson and Fernandez to lose their rhythm in the middle of the park. Their fans howl in impotent frustration.
20 min: Alvarez chops his way down the inside-left channel, turning poor Chalobah inside and out like a pair of freshly laundered socks. His shot deflects off De Bruyne and out for a corner … after which the flag pops up for offside.
19 min: Caicedo closes down Ake and makes a hard-but-fair old-school block challenge. That was a coming together at 101 mph. Great fun to watch, especially for those of a 1980s vintage, but he won’t want to mistime another of those.
17 min: De Bruyne slides in clumsily on the in-flight Madueke from behind. It’s a clear trip and should be a yellow card, not least because it’s not his first foul, but the referee seems minded to keep his cards in his pocket early doors. The officials in semi-final mode.
15 min: De Bruyne releases Foden into the box with an outrageous thread down the inside-right channel. Foden rounds Petrovic on the outside, but the keeper’s forced him too far wide to slot. Foden dinks into the middle, where Cucurella heads clear from the six-yard box. City still force a corner, but De Bruyne wastes it by trying to give Petrovic the eyes and surprise him at the near post. Wide.
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13 min: Walker slips when attempting to chest down a poor pass from Grealish and allows Gallagher to tear off with the ball down the left. City’s captain is fortunate that his team-mates hold their shape. The ball’s switched to the right flank, where Gusto wins another Chelsea corner.
11 min: Palmer attempts to lob Ortega from the centre circle. Full marks for ambition if nothing else.
10 min: Now City win their first corner, through De Bruyne down the left. Alvarez takes it short, exchanging passes with De Bruyne before curling it long. Rodri rises at the far stick but can only waft a header straight at Petrovic from a tight angle. A brisk end-to-end start to this semi.
9 min: Chelsea look dangerous whenever they snaffle possession and stream forward, and Madueke forces the first corner of the game. Gallagher sends it in from the right. Silva can’t get a clean header away, and Grealish wellies clear.
7 min: Jackson bursts into some space down the right and looks to be upended from behind by Ake. But the referee doesn’t see it that way and play goes on. No matter, because Chelsea soon come again, Gallagher stealing the ball off Walker and laying off to Palmer, who releases Jackson down the inside-left channel. Jackson shoots from the edge of the box. It’s a fierce effort, but straight at Ortega.
6 min: City are dominating possession, like that’s some sort of newsflash. “I reckon Chelsea will want this to go to penalties just to show that they’re able to take them in an orderly fashion,” writes Peter Oh. “My sources tell me that the coaching staff is frantically revising the list of takers (‘Jackson, Madueke, Jackson, Madueke, Palmer’).”
4 min: Silva is now put into bother by Petrovic, who gives him a pass he doesn’t want. He’s nearly swarmed by sky-blue shirts, but does enough to get the ball away from danger again. Chelsea living dangerously.
3 min: Palmer, who has a leg strapped up already, isn’t moving freely, having been clipped accidentally by Stones. Hopefully for Chelsea he’ll be able to run the impact off.
2 min: … but now they nearly go ahead, Cucurella playing a careless backpass that nearly lets Alvarez in. Silva slides across to avert disaster.
1 min: Some space for Cucurella down the left. He looks for Madueke in the middle but the cross is too long. City were briefly exposed there. Had the ball been better, the favourites would have been in a lot of bother.
City get the ball rolling. A fine atmosphere ringing around Wembley.
No pre-match word with Mauricio Pochettino, but no matter, because here come the teams! They emerge to roars, Cole Palmer having caught up with all his old pals in the tunnel. The exchanges all very friendly. Both sides wear blue: City in sky, Chelsea in royal. We’ll be off in a minute!
The BBC ask Pep Guardiola whether his team are ready to bounce back from the disappointment of Champions League defeat. “The team are not disappointed … when a team plays well we are never disappointed … we don’t have to feel sorry or ashamed for the way [we] perform … it is football, it is life … we are in a semi-final against a historical team like Chelsea so of course you have to perform well … winning or losing against Madrid we would do the same … [Erling Haaland] is injured … it is not much but he is not able to play today.”
All the pre-match patter. Includes news of Enzo Fernández carrying a hernia problem, and this season’s emergence of Cole Palmer.
The big news for Manchester City: Erling Haaland is out injured. Julián Álvarez takes his place up front. There are three other changes to the starting XI in the wake of Wednesday’s Champions League exit to Real Madrid: Stefan Ortega, John Stones and Nathan Aké come in for Ederson, Rúben Dias and Joško Gvardiol, all of whom drop to the bench.
Chelsea make just one change to the team that started Monday night’s 6-0 rout of Everton. Enzo Fernández comes in for Mykhailo Mudryk, who drops to the bench. Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke keep their places in Mauricio Pochettino’s one-for-all, all-for one penalty-taking collective.
The teams
Manchester City: Ortega, Walker, Stones, Akanji, Ake, Bernardo Silva, Rodri, Foden, De Bruyne, Grealish, Alvarez.
Subs: Dias, Kovacic, Doku, Gomez, Gvardiol, Matheus Luiz, Ederson, Bobb, Lewis.
Chelsea: Petrovic, Gusto, Chalobah, Thiago Silva, Cucurella, Caicedo, Fernandez, Gallagher, Palmer, Madueke, Jackson.
Subs: Disasi, Badiashile, Sterling, Mudryk, Bettinelli, Chukwuemeka, Chilwell, Deivid Washington, Gilchrist.
Referee: Michael Oliver (Northumberland).
Your City side! 🩵
— Manchester City (@ManCity) April 20, 2024
XI | Ortega Moreno, Walker (C), Stones, Akanji, Ake, Rodrigo, De Bruyne, Bernardo, Foden, Grealish, Alvarez
SUBS | Ederson, Dias, Kovacic, Doku, Gomez, Gvardiol, Nunes, Bobb, Lewis#ManCity | @etihad pic.twitter.com/dT2NJRjyld
Introducing our semi-final XI…
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) April 20, 2024
🇦🇷 Enzo returns in the middle.
©️ Gallagher captains the Blues.
⚡️ Madueke keeps his place.@ParimatchUK | #CFC | #EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/j8e0nFXH46
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Preamble
Let’s give this semi-final a build-up commensurate with the level of respect the Football Association gives its own flagship competition. Here we go, then …
Kick off is at 5.15pm BST. It’s on.
