The FA Cup final has been confirmed as a Kelechi Iheanacho goal secured Leicester the win over Southampton. The Nigerian striker’s finish came in the fifty-fifth minute. A brilliant way to round off his excellent form of late that has seen him pick up eleven goal contributions in his last seven games for the club. The Yorkshire club will meet Chelsea after they knocked out Man City.
15th May 2021 – Remember the Date!
On the fifteenth of next month, Chelsea will meet Leicester in the FA Cup final. For Chelsea, this is a chance to exorcise the demons of last years final, in which they lost to Arsenal. If Chelsea emerge victorious, they will become the uncontested third-placed team for all-time FA Cup victories.
Chelsea have gone through some of the lesser sides in their cup run so far however, that all changed this weekend. Playing the football machine that is Manchester City, Tuchel’s men outperformed The Citizens in a disciplined performance.
It was an Hakim Ziyech finish at the end of a rapid Chelsea counter-attack that secured the win. It could be argued, by beating arguably the best side in the world right now, Chelsea showed their full capabilities. Tuchel’s men kept another clean sheet in what has been a regular sight under the German. A FA Cup victory would mark an incredible start to his career at Stamford Bridge, one that could get even better with a potential Champions League final still on the cards.
For Leicester however, the journey hasn’t been the easiest. The last two rounds in particular offered a real challenge for the Midlands club. Playing Manchester United in the quarter-finals, Leicester showed real style and skill in overpowering the Premier League’s second-best team from this season.
In the semi’s it was Southampton, and despite The Saints middling performance in the Prem, they had failed to concede a single goal in the FA Cup before facing Leicester.
As mentioned earlier, it was Iheanacho who secured the win for Leicester and in doing so they reached their first FA Cup final in over fifty years, a competition they have never won.
What should we expect from the final?
The two sides have already met once this season, a Premier League match back in January. Leicester left that night as the victors. The difference between now and then, however, is the mid-season arrival of manager Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea.
The initial game was a two-one victory to Leicester. But, since Tuchel’s arrival, Chelsea have conceded two or more goals on just one occasion and are certainly a better-equipped unit. Also, the two sides met in a rather slow FA Cup quarter-final last season where Chelsea would pick up the victory with a solitary goal.
There is also naturally some intrigue over if this final will go ahead. This comes after the emergence of Chelsea in a potential European Super League. However, we don’t know anything for sure regarding this season’s final so, for now, we have a great final to look forward to. Not only that but, the final is expected to host twenty-one thousand fans, a real treat in COVID times.
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