Manchester City have reached the FA Cup final after they beat Chelsea 1-0 at Wembley thanks to a late Bernardo Silva strike.
Silva's goal saved Pep Guardiola's side from playing another extra time period after they were dumped out of the Champions League quarterfinals Wednesday evening on penalties by Real Madrid.
Mauricio Pochettino's side will be furious with themselves for allowing the game to get to that stage of the match without them taking the lead. They created far more chances and Nicolas Jackson easily could have had a brace.
Cole Palmer has been in scintillating form and started the game on the front foot against his former side as he looked to give Chelsea the lead. He combined well with Noni Madueke down the right and the 21-year-old glided past Rodri, an achievement in itself, before slotting the ball to the far corner but Stefan Ortega made the save.
Man City vs Chelsea final score
| FT | Goalscorers | |
| Man City | 1 | Silva 84' |
| Chelsea | 0 |
City had few chances in the first half but their best came after a Kevin De Bruyne trademark through ball as he split Chelsea's defence. He picked out Phil Foden who could have struck the ball first time but decided to take the ball around Dorde Petrovic and subsequently the angle tightened. He then played the ball across the box and Marc Cucurella cleared the danger.
Chelsea in the second half again were the better side but faltered at the most important stage. Jackson had two magnificent chances in less than a minute of each other as he was played through one-on-one with Ortega but struck the ball straight at the City keeper. The Senegalese forward then had a header inside of the six-yard box which was again right at Ortega.
But Guardiola's side got the job done as they so often do, this time it came after Silva's clinical finish at the back post. Again it was De Bruyne who was at the centre of City's fortune as his low cross was deflected directly into the path of the Portuguese midfielder.
It's a win that came after an intense battle midweek and City showed lethargy at times. In his post-match interview with the BBC, Guardiola expressed his frustrations that this game was selected to be played on Saturday instead of Sunday given Manchester United did not compete in Europe this week.
The second semifinal will see United face Coventry City. If Erik ten Hag's side were to progress, it would mean a second successive Manchester derby in the FA Cup final for the first time ever. City famously beat United last year to keep their treble hopes alive, this year it'll be to keep the possibility of winning the double as they remain well in the Premier League title race.
MORE: Premier League top scorers 2023/24
Lineups:
Man City predicted XI (4-1-4-1, right to left): Ortega (GK) — Walker, Stones (Dias 46'), Akanji, Ake — Rodri — Silva, De Bruyne, Foden, Grealish (Doku 65') — Alvarez.
Chelsea predicted XI (4-2-3-1 right to left): Petrovic (GK) — Gusto (Disasi 79'), Chalobah, Silva, Cucurella (Chilwell 88') — Caicedo, Enzo (Sterling 88') — Madueke (Mudryk 79'), Palmer, Gallagher — Jackson.
MORE: Why did Man City sell Cole Palmer?
Man City vs Chelsea live updates, highlights, and commentary
FT: CITY REACH THE FA CUP FINAL! They've done it for a second successive season and have dumped Chelsea out.
90th minute: Eight minutes will be added on! Can Chelsea find an equaliser?
88th minute: Pochettino throws the dice one final time. Sterling and Chilwell come on for Cucurella and Fernandez.
84th minute: GOAL! SILVA! City lead in the semifinal. De Bruyne's drilled cross is deflected and finds Silva at the back post who sweetly strikes it into the back of the net.
82nd minute: City work it well and find Alvarez on the edge of the box who hits it first time but it's way over the bar. Both teams have been extremely disappointing in the final third today.
79th minute: Chelsea make changes. Mudryk and Disasi come on for Madueke and Gusto.
70th minute: De Bruyne is the latest to have a go from distance but it's well wide.
66th minute: Grealish is forced off through injury which is a shame as he was just starting to pick up City's pace. That shouldn't be too much of a problem, though, as the electrifying speed of Doku enters the field.
61st minute: Walker and Jackson are in a foot race to the box and the City defender proves to be too strong for the Chelsea forward. This game is well and truly heating up!
56th minute: Palmer's free-kick is blocked by Grealish and it appeared to hit his arm. There was a brief VAR check but play resumes.
49th minute: Jackson misses two glorious opportunities for the Blues. His first was a curled strike right at Ortega and the other is a free header from the six-yard box which again is right at Ortega! The story of his debut season as a blue...
46th minute: We're back underway!
HT: Well that was quite an intriguing first half. Chelsea have looked good but may rue those missed chances as the game goes on. City have yet to find their flow in the final third.
45th minute: Caicedo is the first to receive a yellow card as he brings Grealish down by grabbing his shirt.
42nd minute: It's a cracking atmosphere inside Wembley as both sides fancy their chances of taking the lead before the break.
37th minute: Palmer! Ah, he was so close to firing Chelsea into the lead as he glides past Rodri and opens up his body to find the far corner but Ortega makes a good save. Pochettino's side have been causing City some problems in the last 10 minutes or so.
30th minute: What a waste by Jackson! He gets in behind and is one-on-one with Ortega but takes the ball too wide, tries to cut it back to Palmer but it's an awful ball and it's intercepted.
26th minute: Enzo Fernandez swipes Rodri off his feet and that may be the last one he gets away with before seeing a yellow card.
20th minute: Alvarez shows some neat footwork in the box and fires at goal but De Bruyne gets in the way and stops it from going in!
14th minute: Foden is picked out in the box by De Bruyne and the Englishman knocks it past Petrovic making the angle tight and his shot is cleared by Cucurella.
9th minute: Chelsea are finding space between City's midfield and defence with you know who running the show so far. Palmer is involved in every Chelsea attack so far.
6th minute: It's been an exciting start to this semifinal as City dominate possession but Chelsea are finding ways to hit them on the counter.
1st minute: We're underway at Wembley!
15 mins before kickoff: The teams have nearly finished their warm-ups and kickoff is next!
Focused on the task at hand. 🔐#CFC | #EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/UFUXV5uodK
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) April 20, 2024
30 mins before kickoff: Grealish starts for City this afternoon. It's not been the best of years by his standards with only three goals and three assists in all competitions. In an interview with The Athletic, Grealish opened up on his struggles this season:
“It’s been difficult. Especially on the back of last year, I had such a good season. I was playing a lot and was one of the main players in the team and playing in all the important games.
“This year at the start of the season I had a dead leg which kept me out for a month and then I didn’t play too often. I don’t think my form was the best and I wasn’t playing with a lot of confidence. In the new year, I had a few injuries again as well with my groin.
“Recently, obviously I haven’t scored yet, but I feel good, I feel fit and I feel like I’m playing with good confidence. Hopefully, I can bring that into the end of the season.”
1 hour before kickoff: The team news is in and Erling Haaland is not with the squad today. De Bruyne is fit and starts for City in a side that sees four changes from the Madrid match. For Chelsea, man of the moment Cole Palmer starts as expected.
Man City predicted XI (4-1-4-1, right to left): Ortega (GK) — Walker, Stones, Akanji, Ake — Rodri — Silva, De Bruyne, Foden, Grealish — Alvarez.
Chelsea predicted XI (4-2-3-1 right to left): Petrovic (GK) — Gusto, Chalobah, Silva, Cucurella — Caicedo, Enzo — Madueke, Palmer, Gallagher — Jackson.
1 hour 30 mins before kickoff: It could be a significant day for Manchester City as they are looking to reach the FA Cup final in consecutive campaigns for the third time in their history, previously doing so in 1933/1934 and 1955/1956.
2 hours before kickoff: Good afternoon and welcome to our live blog of the FA Cup semifinal clash between Man City and Chelsea. In major news, there are reports that Erling Haaland is not in the City squad today. Team news will be confirmed in the next hour, so stay with us to find out if that is indeed the case.
Haaland NOT in the squad ❌
— FPL MCFC (@FPLMaineRoad) April 20, 2024
What time does Man City vs Chelsea kick off?
This FA Cup match takes place at Wembley Stadium in London, UK and kicks off on Saturday, April 20 at 5:15 p.m. local time.
Here's how that time translates across some of the major territories:
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| USA | Sat, Apr. 20 | 12:15 p.m. ET |
| Canada | Sat, Apr. 20 | 12:15 p.m. ET |
| UK | Sat, Apr. 20 | 5:15 p.m. GMT |
| Australia | Sun, Apr. 21 | 2:15 a.m. AEST |
| India | Sat, Apr. 20 | 9:45 p.m. IST |
Man City vs Chelsea lineups, team news
Guardiola will likely reshuffle his starting XI following a long and draining night against Real Madrid. Stefan Ortega is set to step in for Ederson as part of his role as FA Cup goalkeeper.
Kevin De Bruyne, Erling Haaland and Manuel Akanji were all substituted against Los Blancos, and the trio will be assessed after Guardiola confirmed they asked to come off.
Man City predicted XI (4-2-3-1, right to left): Ortega (GK) — Lewis, Dias, Ake, Gvardiol — Rodri, Kovacic — Foden, De Bruyne, Grealish — Alvarez.
Man City subs (9): TBC
Mauricio Pochettino is still battling with a lengthy injury list at Chelsea in 2024, with at least six players missing for this game. A late call will be made on the fitness of Axel Disasi and Enzo Fernandez but Raheem Sterling and Robert Sanchez should shake off illness in time to start.
Chelsea predicted XI (4-3-3 right to left): Sanchez (GK) — Gusto, Silva, Chalobah, Cucurella— Gallagher, Caicedo, Fernandez — Palmer, Jackson, Sterling.
Chelsea subs (9): TBC
Man City vs Chelsea live stream, TV channel
Here's how to watch this FA Cup match across selected areas of the world's major regions:
| Region | TV | Streaming |
| USA | — | ESPN+ |
| Canada | — |
Sportsnet NOW Plus |
| UK | BBC 1 | BBC iPlayer |
| Australia | — | Paramount+ |
| India | — | — |
