Chelsea ended the 2017-18 season and perhaps Antonio Conte’s tenure in charge with a victory in the FA Cup final against Manchester United.
For the most part, the game lacked pace and fluidity as an early Chelsea goal from the penalty spot allowed the Blues to stifle Jose Mourinho’s men, sitting back and soaking up the pressure. United lacked the sort of killer instinct necessary to topple a defence that has at times leaked goals this season.
One moment of electric counter-attacking movement from Eden Hazard was enough for Chelsea to score the only goal of the game, as he raced past Phil Jones and into the area before the calamitous centre-half wiped out the Belgian forward to give away a penalty. This was calmly dispatched by Chelsea’s number 10 on what could well be his last game for the club.
The second-half was one-way traffic as United looked for a way back into the game but a combination of tight marking and ponderous attacking play limited Paul Pogba and co. to just a handful of clear-cut chances. One of these fell to the French midfielder, who headed wide despite being left free in the area.
Alexis Sanchez also had a goal correctly ruled offside, as VAR came into use to good effect.
Chelsea held out to secure their first FA Cup in six years, having failed to beat Arsenal in last year’s final, bringing a small glimmer of satisfaction to an otherwise disappointing campaign.
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