THEY think it’s all over… it is now.
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel had waxed lyrical about the 1966 World Cup Final ahead of his first visit to Wembley.
And the German coach and his team ended Manchester City’s hopes of their own once-in-a-lifetime achievement: the Quadruple has gone.
Hakim Ziyech’s second-half goal was enough to win the game but Chelsea should have scored more to reflect their superiority over lacklustre City.
Pep Guardiola had claimed in the build up not to care less about the prospect of a clean sweep.
The selection of an under-strength side suggested he wasn’t joking.
Guardiola left some of his stars of the season on the bench and those he did pick failed to take their opportunity to guide City a step closer to history.
Most crucially, second-string goalkeeper Zach Steffen was at fault for the winning goal, but Guardiola’s side were second best all over the pitch.
Even Kevin De Bruyne looked human before his game was cut short prematurely by an injury to his right ankle.
City will be hoping that their talisman recovers in time for next Sunday’s Carabao Cup Final, just as Spurs are praying for Harry Kane to shake off a problem with the same part of his body.
Guardiola’s team as a whole will have to raise their game from this level.
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At a ground that has become their second home in recent years, they failed to turn up for an FA Cup semi-final for the second year in a row.
The two teams were contesting not only a place in the final but the chance- if all goes well with the easing of restrictions – to play in front of 21,000 people back here on May 15.
Judging by the line-ups, Chelsea were more up for the cup than City.
Guardiola retained only three players from the side that had beaten Borussia Dortmund to reach the last four of the Champions League, while Tuchel made only two outfield changes from the game against Porto.
It was little surprise, then, that Chelsea started with more cohesion and purpose. Ziyech had the ball in the net inside six minutes, but Timo Werner had been offside in the build-up.
When Steffen dealt unconvincingly with a Reece James cross, the thought occurred that the game might be decided by which team had the better back-up man second-string player between the posts.
Steffen should have been tested again when James sent in another delivery but fellow full-back Ben Chilwell met it with a Sunday league shin that sent the ball bobbling wide.
It was a pretty low-key first half, overall.
At times it was as if you were watching a group of senior citizens play walking football, such was the lack of intensity – especially from City as they failed to test Blues stand-in Kepa Arrizabalaga.
The circumstances gave Mason Mount a good opportunity to try to win over the cranks, weirdos and Jack Grealish cult members who doubt his qualities.
Without being outstanding, Mount at least tried to inject energy into the flat occasion. His willingness to take players on and attack space, rather than simply retain possession for possession’s sake, was a breath of fresh air in a sometimes stale encounter.
In contrast, even the maestro De Bruyne was struggling to get a tune out of Guardiola’s reshuffled orchestra.
City exerted a little pressure late in the half but not enough to require Kepa to add to the early routine save he had made from Gabriel Jesus.
De Bruyne’s evening ended moments after the restart, following a tussle with N’Golo Kante.
On came Phil Foden, the hero of Dortmund and City picked up the pace a bit.
But Chelsea soon took the lead.
Werner timed his run on to Mount’s pass perfectly, but Steffen got his own dash forward badly wrong. The City ‘keeper was in no man’s land and the German squared the ball for Ziyech to scoop home.
The former Ajax winger struck the turf in frustration moments later after he fluffed the chance to make it two.
Ruben Dias made an uncharacteristic mistake, misjudging a high ball, and Ziyech was clear, only to mishit his shot enough to allow Steffen to save.
Dias redeemed himself slightly with a fine challenge to stop Werner converting the follow-up.
The City centre back had an opportunity to really make amends in the opposite penalty area, but mistimed a close-range header after a corner and sent the ball over the bar.
Guardiola’s team took up residence in the Chelsea half without creating a clear-cut chance.
With 12 minutes left, Chelsea could have sealed it. Werner ran most of the length of the pitch on the break but his finish, not for the first time this season, was weak.
It mattered not. Kepa just about managed to keep out a stoppage-time header from Rodri, but it was too little, too late from City.
The Quadruple dream had lasted all the way to mid-April, but ended with a whimper.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
