Crystal Palace vs Arsenal: Gunners suffer top four blow after huge 3:0 defeat at Selhurst Park
FootballFA Cup: Chelsea Silence Crystal Palace at Wembley Stadium to Reach the Finals
- Chelsea vs Crystal Palace FA Cup meeting ended in a 2-0 victory for the Blues at Wembley Stadium
- Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mason Mount scored a goal each in the second half of the clash to help Chelsea book a place in the final
- The west Londoners will be coming up against Liverpool who eliminated Manchester City in the other semi-final
Premier League giants Chelsea have qualified for the FA Cup finals for the third season in a row.
The Blues made it into the final after seeing off rivals Crystal Palace in a thrilling semi-final clash staged at Wembley Stadium.
Thomas Tuchel's charges were keen to put their recent Champions League heartbreak behind them during the Sunday, April 17, clash as they seek to end the season on a high.
Despite securing a 3-2 epic win during the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie at Santiago Bernabeu played in mid-week, Chelsea were eliminated from the European competition on a 5-4 goal aggregate.
Their exit from the competition left them with just the FA Cup to fight for having lost the Premier League title race to Liverpool and Man City.
Loftus-Cheek, Mason Mount fires Chelsea to victory
Both Chelsea and Palace had a slow start to the match, with the latter dominating possession.
Neither side had created a clearcut chance in the opening exchanges, with the Blues being forced into an early change as Tuchel withdrew Mateo Kovacic to introduce Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
And after an uneventful first half, the two teams headed into the break all level, with Palace coming closest to scoring when Cheikhou Kouyate’s volley was pushed away by Edouard Mendy.
The second half of the match saw Loftus-Cheek break the deadlock in the 65th minute as his effort took a deflection off Andersen.
Mason Mount doubled Chelsea's advantage 10 minutes later with a sublime finish after he was set up by Timo Werner who squared a lovely pass to him.
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FootballEfforts by Palace to draw level proved futile as the Blues stormed to victory.
Chelsea to face off against Liverpool
The Blues' win saw them set up a date with Liverpool in the final of the tournament.
Liverpool earned their own ticket after seeing off Man City in the other semi-final played on Saturday, April 16.
Having finished as runners-up in the tournament in the last two seasons, Tuchel's men will be hoping to win the crown this term.