Chelsea vs Crystal Palace LIVE: FA Cup latest score and goal updates from semi-final
Chelsea and Crystal Palace meet in the FA Cup semi-final on Sunday afternoon, with both teams knowing that Liverpool lie in wait in the final itself. The Reds overcame Manchester City 3-2 on Saturday to reach a first final in a decade in this competition - and now their opponents for 14 May will be decided as the two London clubs clash.
The Blues saw off Chesterfield, Plymouth, Luton and Middlesbrough to reach the last four, making this the first time they have faced top-flight opposition during the campaign in the FA Cup. For the Eagles it’s the second time: they beat Millwall, Hartlepool and Stoke in the earlier rounds, before seeing off Everton in the quarters last month.
Back on the opening day of the season, the two clubs met in what was Patrick Vieira’s first game in charge of Palace; Chelsea won that day with ease but the return fixture in February was a much closer affair, Hakim Ziyech scoring a last-minute winner - the only defeat in 11 for the Eagles up until last weekend’s loss at Leicester. Follow the FA Cup semi-final between Chelsea and Crystal Palace below:
- Chelsea: Mendy, Azpilicueta, Christensen, Rudiger, James, Jorginho, Kovacic, Alonso, Mount, Havertz, Werner
- Palace: Butland, Ward, Guehi, Andersen, Mitchell, Kouyate, McArthur, Zaha, Eze, Schlupp, Mateta
- Liverpool await winners in final after beating Man City
36 mins: Schulpp and Mateta double up on Jorginho and snatch the ball off him midway inside the Chelsea half. Schlupp tries to instantly slide through Zaha but Rudiger cuts it out.
Chelsea are still a little disorganised here though and Palace earn a free-kick which Eze is preparing to send into the box.
Dylan Terry17 April 2022 17:07
34 mins: Chelsea probing, searching for a way through this stubborn Palace defence.
Jorginho tries to find Azpilicueta out wide but Schlupp quickly comes across to hack it away from danger.
Chelsea then work themselves into a decent area as Jorginho lays it off for Mount on the edge of the box... only for the England international to sky his effort over the top.
Dylan Terry17 April 2022 17:05
31 mins: Werner does excellently down the left as he outpaces Ward before sending a cross to the back post for Azpilicueta. The Spaniard is there to meet it but barely makes any contact with the ball as he slices it harmlessly away for a goal kick.
The game finally heating up a bit now.
Dylan Terry17 April 2022 17:02
30 mins: Andersen intercepts another through ball towards Werner. This time he can only turn it behind for a corner to Chelsea.
James sends it into the box and Ward powers it behind for another corner. Take two, Mr James.
In it comes again and this time it’s Zaha who scoops it away. Palace then try to break but the pass through to the onrushing Zaha is too far in front of him.
Dylan Terry17 April 2022 17:00
28 mins: A glimpse of goal! Almost a chance for Palace. Eze clips the central free-kick over the high Chelsea line and for a moment it looks like Andersen is going to meet it, but Mendy just gets there ahead of the centre-back.
Dylan Terry17 April 2022 16:59
28 mins: The Palace fans in fine voice at Wembley. Safe to say it isn’t for anything that has happened on the pitch so far. There really has been very little to shout about.
Eze draws a foul from Mason Mount. The Chelsea midfielder needs to be a little careful, that’s a few free-kicks he has given away already.
Dylan Terry17 April 2022 16:58
26 mins: Kovacic fails to last half an hour. He limps off and is replaced by the talented Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
Dylan Terry17 April 2022 16:57
25 mins: Rudiger clips a ball in towards Havertz and the German gets his head to the ball first but it’s tamely into the arms of Butland.
Kovacic has gone down now and is about to be replaced.
Dylan Terry17 April 2022 16:56
24 mins: This is an interesting one. Ruben Loftus-Cheek is getting ready to come on. May well be for Kovacic who isn’t moving particularly freely.
Meanwhile, Chelsea enjoy another lengthy spell of possession but fail to make any real inroads into the Palace half.
Dylan Terry17 April 2022 16:55
22 mins: Referee Anthony Taylor hops over the ball as Eze looks to start a Palace attack with a pass out wide to Zaha. Mount is in strongly though to send it out for a throw.
Yes, the referee’s dummy is up there with the most exciting moments of this game as we past the halfway mark of the first half.
Dylan Terry17 April 2022 16:53