Frank Lampard tactically outsmarted Ole Gunnar Solskjaer when it mattered most with Chelsea reaching the FA Cup final with ease and at Manchester United’s expense on Sunday.
At the fourth time of asking this season, the west Londoners ironed out their defensive frailties and found a winning formula against their opponents.
United arrived at Wembley with a psychological edge. Not only have they been in electric form, Solskjaer’s side already had the measure of Lampard’s side a hat-trick of times in the campaign, ousting them twice in the top flight and in the League Cup.
Chelsea had been schooled, but they translated those defeats into information and remedied their ease at crumbling in transition and gifting opportunities on the counter.
It felt reminiscent of Derby County’s battles with Leeds last season, where Marcelo Bielsa thrice taught Lampard a lesson before the young manager flipped the script at the critical point to reach the Championship play-off final.
He was wise to his mistakes then and repeated that trick against United.
Both teams opted for three at the back on Sunday, and while the system worked well for Solskjaer’s men in this meeting earlier in the season, it was a straitjacket for United’s offensive might.
Chelsea were comfortable in proceedings, pressing well and getting tight on the talismanic Bruno Fernandes. They dominated every facet of play, completely stifling their opponents and they were ultimately rewarded.
De Gea bore great responsibility for that, the goalkeeper’s recession continuing at a rate not even Roy Keane will be able to properly froth over.
Chelsea’s first was an Oliver Giroud speciality; the striker aggressively attacking the near post to flick in Cesar Azpilicueta’s curled cross with the outside of his left boot. Victor Lindelof was caught cold and while the ball went through De Gea, the defender felt more culpable for United conceding.
But after the interval, there was no such reprieve for the keeper. Mason Mount picked up a loose Brandon Williams pass and decided to have a swing 35 yards out. It looked a comfortable enough situation for the diving de Gea, until the ball evaded his fingers.
The world’s highest paid stopper has been in a downward spiral since the 2018 World Cup, with howlers now more a characteristic of his game than expert reactions.
United’s hugely forgettable evening was worsened when Harry Maguire bundled a Marcos Alonso cross into his own net.
There was at least some glitter at the death – but a case of too little too late – as Fernandes slotted a spot-kick after Callum Hudson-Odoi fouled Anthony Martial.
For United, there are several question marks. The most concerning is against De Gea, a costly problem that is continuous.
There will also be fingers pointed at Solskjaer’s selection – his omission of Paul Pogba, Mason Greenwood and Martial from the XI – and his altering of a system and approach that has been so rewarding in recent months. Their unbeaten run across all competitions ends at 19, with United the antithesis of the explosive machine we’ve seen motor through opponents.
A wider lens will no doubt be cast on football’s handling of concussion given the amount of head clashes in the encounter, with Eric Bailly having to be stretchered off while Maguire was cleared to play on despite quite a drastic knock.
In terms of the final, a spectacle awaits: Mikel Arteta’s flawed but rejuvenated Arsenal tackle a Chelsea team that have seemingly plastered their defensive weaknesses.
