FA Cup was decided by the width of a post but Chelsea were beaten by a side that ensure tiny margins make the differenceImagine, for a moment, you are the goalframe at the east end of Wembley. Last summer you watched as Marcus Rashford, at the climax of that sulphurous July night, took a straight run-up, stuttered, and then, as Gianluigi Donnarumma fell to your left, dragged his penalty to your right.You like the young man, his obvious decency, his stance on various social issues – and you are an English goalframe after all. You wanted him to score. You tried to just stretch a bit further, to widen your stance, but your feet were rooted and the ball cannoned...
Thomas Tuchel’s team equal their rivals for the fourth time this season but the Reds are rolling on towards a historic campaignSometimes a miss really is as good as a mile. Wembley was a fevered place at the end of this gruelling, apparently endless FA Cup final. As the Liverpool players capered at the eastern end of the ground, lost in a fog of red smoke, tumbling and rolling on the grass in front of a stand that seemed a single mess of limbs and light and noise, the contrast in the other half of the pitch was unavoidably stark.Chelsea’s players sat, bereft, on the turf as the end behind them emptied out. And at that moment these two entities...
Liverpool and Chelsea clash at Wembley on Saturday with a rich history of Cup success in today’s changing landscapeAh, the Cup final. All that pomp and ceremony, the classic rites, the time-honoured rituals. The tingle of anticipation as we approach the sacred 4.45pm kick-off. A bespoke set from the world-famous house DJ Pete Tong in the buildup. Banners and placards honouring the competition’s airline sponsor. The traditional taking of the knee. And then, after a peep of Craig Pawson’s whistle, a football match played almost entirely without conventional strikers.One of the greatest misconceptions about the FA Cup over the years is that it has failed to move with the times. In fact, ever since the first final at the Kennington...
Brazil forward knows all about last chances and his winner against Chelsea was proof of his deep reserves of spirit It was the last trial. The last chance. After countless rebuffs and rejections, a 12-hour bus journey to Belo Horizonte for an open training session with America’s under-17 side awaited him. If he failed to make the grade then not only would he have no real future in football, but he also had no way of getting home. A one-way ticket was all Richarlison de Andrade could afford. No safety net. No second chances.Perhaps in a parallel timeline, Richarlison does not impress the America scouts that morning. Perhaps he turns an ankle and is forced to limp to the sidelines,...
Chelsea need a rethink – the mess against Arsenal did not come out of the blue and Thomas Tuchel knows itAs a measure of how badly Wednesday night went for Chelsea nothing summed it up more than Thomas Tuchel blaming his side’s latest shoddy defensive display on the state of the Stamford Bridge turf. “It is a very difficult pitch we have here,” Tuchel said as his thoughts turned to Andreas Christensen setting Arsenal on their way to victory by handing Eddie Nketiah the opening goal with a comical shank. “It is not to our favour and the ball bounces very, very awkwardly when the ball bounces to Andreas.” Continue reading...