Leicester City defeated Chelsea 1-0 in the FA Cup final courtesy of a wonder strike by Youri Tielemans.
Chelsea came to Wembley looking to avenge last year’s heartbreak when they were defeated at this stage by Arsenal.
For their opponents, it was an opportunity to win this competition for the first time in their history. They have previously been runners-up on four occasions.
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The first half was quiet. Both sides showed plenty of attacking intent, but the defences came out on top.
Thomas Tuchel’s men came close when Mason Mount’s 20-yard shot was deflected wide, while Timo Werner blazed over from a similar distance.
The second half began similarly, with neither side creating anything clear cut until the final 30 minutes. But once the game got going, it produced some incredible drama.
The deadlock was broken in the 63rd minute with a moment of real quality from Youri Tielemans. The Belgian picked up the ball in the attacking half and unleashed a stunning 30-yard strike into the top corner.
However, it was not without controversy. Replays showed that the ball hit Ayoze Perez on the arm. The Chelsea players complained, but the goal stood.
The Blues threw everything at finding an equaliser but were up against an inspired Kasper Schmeichel in goal.
The Dane first produced a fine stop to deny former teammate Ben Chilwell. He diverted N’Golo Kante’s cross towards the far corner, but Schmeichel got fingertips to it to turn it onto the post.
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Ten minutes later, the goalkeeper made another excellent stop, this time to prevent Mount’s powerful left-footed half-volley.
With injury time approaching, Chelsea thought they had found an equaliser. Thiago Silva floated an excellent ball over to Chilwell.
The England international touched the ball around Schmeichel and across goal, where Soyuncu attempted clearance struck Wes Morgan and ended up in the back of the net.
But the celebrations were short-lived. VAR stepped in to disallow the goal after replays spotted a narrow offside in the build up.
Chelsea continued to push but were unable to take it to extra time. Brendan Rodgers’ side won the game 1-0, securing the Northern Irishman’s first piece of silverware in England.
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