Antonio Conte was denied a double by Arsene Wenger’s squad as the Blues put up a disappointing performance in the FA Cup final last night.
The Gunners ended a season of frustration and disappointments by basking in FA Cup glory, as they denied 10-man Chelsea the chance to record a double. The Blues looked lost and intimidated by Arsenal’s blistering attack on several occasions and remained shaky for majority of the first half.
Despite being the Premier League champions, they failed to fight back against fifth-placed Arsenal, and the gunners took full advantage of that and kept attacking them mercilessly.
The Blues were terrible in the first half but looked more in tune in the second half as they managed to score an equalizer. However, it was not long before Arsenal drove in another goal past Golden Gloves winner Thibaut Courtois to seal their victory.
CHELSEA (3-4-3)
Thibaut Courtois – 6.5/10
One cannot blame him much considering how he made a couple of good saves as Arsenal’s attack refused to die down. Chelsea defenders lacked control and made several sloppy passes as the Gunners capitalized on the same. Courtois’ quick distribution allowed Chelsea in making a comeback of sorts in the game.
Cesar Azpilicueta – 4/10
Right from the beginning till the end, Azpilicueta looked like he had no idea what he was doing. There were moments when Sanchez and Ozil weaved past him and he could do nothing to stop them. He also lost the ball to Arsenal on several occasions.
David Luiz – 5/10
Arsenal’s first goal was a rather controversial one as people debated whether it was offside or not. The only person who looked like he couldn’t care less was David Luiz. He failed to make any noteworthy contributions on a day when Chelsea should’ve put up a stronger performance defensively.
Gary Cahill – 6.5/10
Cahill was marginally better when compared to his teammates after making two goal-line clearances during the first 45 minutes. However, he too looked tired a lot of times and failed to make interceptions that actually yielded some benefit to Chelsea. He was particularly troubled by Mesut Ozil as the German was in fiery form last night.
Victor Moses – 3/10
The man responsible for restricting Chelsea to 10 men – Victor Moses – was performing poorly even before he got sent off. He was irresponsible during a match as important as this one and made a blatant dive which gave him a red card. Chelsea’s temporary momentum faltered after that point.
N’golo Kante – 5/10
Kante is a brilliant midfielder and much of Chelsea’s good performances have come on days when he was at his best. Yesterday, however, he was extremely average which is rather unusual for a player like him. In fact, he also failed to track Aaron Ramsey for the eventual winning goal towards the end of the match.
Nemanja Matic – 4/10
Matic was yet another Chelsea player who looked like he couldn’t care less. He made no effort whatsoever and often lost the ball to Arsenal. Granit Xhaka and Aaron Ramsey made a mockery of him as they established their dominion over the midfield area and there was literally nothing Matic could do to stop them.
Marcos Alonso – 5/10
Alonso at least looked like he was trying to do better and even seemed visibly frustrated at times. Despite working harder than several of his teammates, Alonso failed to deliver and carry the momentum forward. He was simply not good enough from wide areas and Hector Bellerin out-classed him for majority of the game.
Pedro – 7/10
Pedro was perhaps the only Chelsea player besides Diego Costa who did not look tired. He was actually the most energetic player on field and at several times threatened Arsenal’s defence and tested their midfield. He also was brave enough to drift into dangerous pockets and shake things up for the Gunners.
Diego Costa – 8/10
Costa looked threatening and did well with Pedro as the duo tried their best to fight back against a strong Arsenal attack. In fact, Costa looked deadly despite the fact that the Gunners put up one of their strongest defensive performances this season. He also made a greater impact by scoring an equalizer.
Eden Hazard – 5.5/10
Chelsea’s go-to super striker Eden Hazard did have a few good moments last night and even took charge through the middle at times. However, he was very quiet and never made his presence felt, which is not what you expect from a player like him. The credit for this has to go Arsenal’s defence, and to Nacho Monreal in particular.
SUBS:
Cesc Fabregas – 6.5/10
Fabregas came on for Matic at a time when Chelsea were showing signs of improvement. He was quick on his feet and did his part fairly well but once the momentum died down for the Blues, so did Fabregas’ performance.
Willian – 7/10
Willian came on for Pedro right before Diego Costa smashed an equalizer courtesy his delivery. After that, there was little he could do since Arsenal lodged a counter-attack and netted a second goal. However, he did engage in some attacking surges by Chelsea towards the end of the game.
Michy Batshuayi – 5/10
He did not really have a chance to do any better since he came on in the 88th minute in place of Diego Costa. Bringing Batshuayi in was perhaps a last attempt by Conte in pushing for a second equalizer which eventually went in vain.