Manchester City are out of the FA Cup after losing 1-0 to Chelsea in the semi-finals at Wembley.
It was a poor performance from the Blues who looked off the pace from the first whistle, their momentum and rhythm perhaps disrupted by Pep Guardiola making eight changes from the side that beat Borrusia Dortmund in midweek.
Speaking at his press conference before the clash, Thomas Tuchel warned Chelsea would 'hunt' City next season and after looking much the better side throughout on Saturday, their threat to Guardiola's side next campaign needs to be taken seriously.
"We have to accept there is a gap between us and Manchester City. If you look at the fixtures in the last few years we have to accept it, but without making us feel too small," Tuchel said on Friday.
"From day one next season we will hunt them and try to close the game. In Europe, there are two teams that are the benchmark: Manchester City and Bayern Munich."
However, while Tuchel suggested there is a 'gap' between the two sides - which the league table obviously pays testament to - Fernandinho admitted in his post-match comments that Chelsea were better than City at Wembley.
“It’s a big disappointment to lose an FA Cup semi-final – it is hard and tough to take,” Fernandinho said. “We have to congratulate Chelsea - they got the chance and scored the goal. It was an important match for us but they were a bit better than us.
“Unfortunately, we were not able to play good football and take the chances. The way we play we try to press as high as we can and we give a bit of space behind our back line and they exploited that.”
After five failed attempts from the pair's previous meetings, Chelsea's win was Tuchel's first-ever victory over Guardiola, and although City made multiples changes at Wembley, the result will offer the London club hope of mounting a title charge next term.
