Thomas Tuchel revealed that he substituted Ruben Loftus-Cheek purely to prepare for the looming penalty shootout against Liverpool at Wembley. The German coach believed that Ross Barkley was more equipped for the moment.
Once again, nothing could separate Chelsea and Liverpool other than sudden death in a penalty shootout. Both sides went goalless in normal and extra-time before misses from Cesar Azpilicueta, and Sadio Mane pushed penalties beyond the five selected takers.
Mason Mount missed the crucial penalty for the Blues as Kosta Tsimikas' strike handed Liverpool the FA Cup trophy. Chelsea had once again fallen at the final hurdle.