Bernardo Silva scores late to send Man City to FA Cup final

Manchester City reached the FA Cup final for the second time in a row after Bernardo Silva put the Champions League nightmares behind him and turned up for the Citizens. Chelsea started the match on the brighter side as their opponents struggled to create any chances.

However, Nicolas Jackson’s profligacy in front of the goal will haunt him as he failed to take advantage of numerous opportunities. The Senegal international spurned chance after chance including a one-on-one with Stefan Ortega.

But after Chelsea failed to take their chances, Pep Guardiola’s men did with their only second real chance at goal. Bernardo Silva who spurned his penalty against Real Madrid in the Champions League slotted past Petrovic with barely six minutes left to play.

The victory sees Manchester City reach the final for the third time under Pep Guardiola. They will face either Coventry City or neighbours Manchester United in the final.

Speaking after the match, Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino said they “competed well” without admitting if his side were the better side despite the defeat.

“Today we competed well. I cannot say we were the better side because that is difficult to measure. The most important thing is we competed.”

“We need to take positives from the game. This group needs these types of moments from games to improve,” he told reporters.

The Argentine quickly turned his attention to the league, saying they would focus on finishing the season well. “Now is a time to finish the season in the best way and then talk about how we can be better,” he said.

He shot down comparisons with the club’s past success by saying the team should be considered differently. 

“We need to assess the team in a different way and not compare to the history of Chelsea,” he said. He, however, added that “we need to be ambitious and think how we can improve.”