Wembley here we come - again!
Chelsea booked their place in the final of the 2019/20 FA Cup with a superb 3-1 win over Manchester United at Wembley on Sunday evening, ending the Red Devils' 19-game unbeaten run in the process.
Having taken the lead in the 11th minute of first-half stoppage time through Frenchman Olivier Giroud, Chelsea doubled their advantage immediately after the restart when Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea found Mason Mount's low, long range effort too hot to handle.
The Blues' evening was to get even better on 74 minutes when United skipper Harry Maguire put the ball into his own net before Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's troops did reduce the deficit, with Bruno Fernandes netting from the penalty spot.
But the Portuguese midfielder's very first FA Cup goal did little to harm the Blues, as Frank Lampard's side progressed to the final to set up an all-London tie with Arsenal next month.
With United having entered the game 19 games unbeaten in all competitions, it would be fair to say that Chelsea would be in for a stern test. However, Lampard's troops stood up to the challenge and got the job done with minimal fuss.
Here, football.london has taken a close look at what the national media made of the contest and how they assessed Chelsea's performance.
Daily Mirror
"So, Frank Lampard and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer were clearly both watching Arsenal closely last night [Saturday]," Alex Richards & Alex Smith wrote for the Daily Mirror.
"Like Mikel Arteta, the duo both decided to go with a back five - one scared of the prospect of Martial, Rashford and Greenwood, the other Willian, Giroud and Pulisic.
"Neither of those fully formed front threes materialised on the team sheet.
"Perhaps both went slightly too conservative, as that is how it felt for much of the first half as neither team seemed overly keen on piling on the pressure in the final third.
"Solskjaer had used this system in United's victory at Stamford Bridge in February, it worked to a tee then, and however dull much of the first half was to watch, Chelsea didn't look like scoring here.
"Bailly's sickening head injury forced Solskjaer to rethink and readjust and the decision to return to a more conventional 4-3-3 appeared to be their downfall - along with David De Gea's flapping.
"And on that note..."
Daily Mail
"What a day for Frank Lampard and Chelsea, though. Now one victory away now from a trophy in his first year as Chelsea manager, and playing an Arsenal team that have served him four out of six points this season," Martin Samuel wrote for the Daily Mail.
"And while domestic cup glory may not be the kind that keeps employees in jobs with Roman Abramovich, this is still an impressive start for a young manager given the restrictions around Lampard’s first season, and the progress he had made with a young team.
"In the circumstances, then, this was an outstanding performance in a game Chelsea were not expected to win.
"Manchester United are Project Restart’s form team and before this weekend, the expectation was of the first Manchester derby FA Cup final. So much for that."
Daily Star
"A solid strong defensive performance and put pressure on Maguire for the own goal," Thomas Bristow wrote for the Daily Star, as he assessed Antonio Rudiger's performance.
"Rudiger's best moment was summed up in the first half when he matched Rashford's pace to snuffle out a United attack.
"Superb."
The Telegraph
"There have been a number of signature performances for Chelsea in Frank Lampard’s first season in charge – Ajax away in the Champions League, Liverpool at home in the FA Cup and Manchester City in the Premier League all readily spring to mind – and here was another one," Jason Burt wrote for The Telegraph.
"Defeating Manchester United to reach a third FA Cup Final in four years was achieved through some shocking gifts from goalkeeper David De Gea, some collective mind-freeze from those in red but also with Lampard out-smarting his opponents tactically, with his team selection and with the way he motivated his players. In other words, Chelsea beat United all ends up.
"This was as comprehensive as it gets and was humiliating for the defeated.
"At the same time, this was Chelsea’s first win over United since the 2018 FA Cup final which, also, just happened to be the last time that De Gea played in this competition. Of all the questionable decisions taken by Solskjaer for this fixture, including his first-choice goalkeeper ahead of his cup alternative, Sergio Romero, was surely one he did not think would cause controversy.
"But so poor was De Gea’s performance that the 29-year-old’s future, because of his continued inconsistency, has to be in serious doubt."
