Chelsea's road to the FA Cup final

14 May 2021 23:25

Chelsea will look to win the ninth FA Cup of their illustrious history on Saturday when they take on Leicester in the final at Wembley.

The Blues have rapidly improved under the guidance of new manager Thomas Tuchel, and will line up in the season ending showpiece for the second consecutive season before turning their attention to winning the Champions League final against Manchester City.

Their route through to Wembley hasn't been easy, taking on a Championship play-off contender as well as two Premier League sides. Here's how they've secured their place in the 140th edition of the FA Cup final.


1. FA Cup 3rd round: Chelsea 4-0 Morecambe

It was a relatively comfortable start to the competition for the Blues, as then-manager Frank Lampard opted to field a strong team against Morecambe of League Two.

Chelsea had 85% possession on the day, securing an easy win thanks to goals from Mason Mount, Timo Werner, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Kai Havertz.


2. FA Cup 4th round: Chelsea 3-1 Luton Town

Lampard again plumped for a strong side against Championship outfit Luton Town, in what would turn out to be his final game in charge.

Academy graduate Tammy Abraham stole the show with a hat-trick, scoring with a fine low strike and header before an error from Kepa Arrizabalaga allowed Luton to get back into the game.

He secured the win late on with a tap in, booking a fifth round trip to Barnsley.


3. FA Cup 5th round: Barnsley 0-1 Chelsea

Thomas Tuchel was still getting to grips with his new side when Oakwell rocked up on the Blues' calendar.

Championship play-off hopefuls Barnsley proved a good test for Chelsea's newly formed back three, who trialled Hudson-Odoi as a wing-back and Emerson Palmieri in central defence.

The game was again settled by Abraham, who scored midway through the second half before clearing an effort off the line shortly after.


4. FA Cup quarter-final: Chelsea 2-0 Sheffield United

The first Premier League opposition of Chelsea's run to the final came in the form of rock bottom Sheffield United.

While the Blues dominated the possession, it was a pretty even encounter in terms of chances. In the end, Chelsea's quality shone through - Oliver Norwood deflecting a shot into his own net before Hakim Ziyech scored in stoppage time to guarantee progression.


5. FA Cup semi-final: Chelsea 1-0 Manchester City

The final four paired up the two strongest teams left in the competition - Chelsea and Manchester City.

City rotated their side slightly - with one eye on securing safe passage in the Champions League - and the game saw both sides press eagerly when out of possession. That allowed Tuchel to utilise the pace of Timo Werner, and it was the German who beat the offside trap to setup Ziyech for the only goal of the game.

Source: 90min