Liverpool and Chelsea will meet in the FA Cup final on Saturday 14th May in a replay of the 2022 Carabao Cup final which the Reds won on penalties.
Before a ball was kicked this weekend the FA Cup 2022 betting odds backed Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City to lift the trophy in May, but Liverpool had other ideas and a 3-2 win means the Merseyside giants have made a first FA Cup final in ten years. After Ibrahima Konate had given Liverpool an early lead Sadio Mane scored a first half brace to give the Reds a 3-0 lead, and while goals from Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva hauled the Sky Blues back into the game Jurgen Klopp’s side held on for a deserved win.
And, then, on Sunday, Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea booked their place in the final with a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace, thanks to goals from Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mason Mount.
Tuchel’s faith in Loftus-Cheek is rewarded
Here at SBOTOP we backed a high scoring game between Chelsea and Crystal Palace but the Blues were flat in the first half, and indeed the Eagles had the best chance to score in a goalless first 45 minutes. But Chelsea stepped up the pace in the second period and a brilliant strike from Ruben Loftus-Cheek broke the Palace resistance. After a quick interchange of passes Kai Havertz’ shot was blocked and Loftus-Cheek smashed the rebound into the top right corner.
It was a great payback for boss Tuchel who has shown faith in the 26 year old, who has promised so much in his career so far but seems to have stalled over the past couple of campaigns. He has featured in the Blues last seven games in a new role as wing-back and has put in some impressive performances. Tuchel said: “We speak a lot about this – that he is still gifted to be here and it’s still a huge opportunity. He has everything that it takes otherwise he would not play and we would not count on him.”
Mason Mount made it 2-0 with a cool finish and Romelu Lukaku almost made it three but his late effort crashed back off the post.
Liverpool’s Champions League advantage paid off
While Manchester City were embroiled in a tense Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid in midweek, Liverpool had an altogether more relaxed evening, bringing a two goal advantage to Anfield after their first leg win against Benfica. The Reds came through with a 6-4 aggregate victory and Klopp took the opportunity to rest some key players; Mane, Mo Salah, Fabinho, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil Van Dijk all starting on the bench.
Few pundits and neutrals expected the FA Cup 2022 highlights to show total Red domination in the first half but that’s exactly what happened as they stormed into a three goal lead and the boss later described the first 45 minutes as ‘one of the best halves of his tenure.’
Klopp also said that all talk of a quadruple was totally unrealistic but after this performance, while he may not say it aloud, surely he must believe the possibility is real. The Reds are going well in the Champions League and have closed the gap in the Premier League to just a single point. And with the Carabao Cup already in the trophy cabinet the other three titles are well within reach.
Playing out from the back doesn’t always pay off
Manchester City’s first choice keeper, Ederson, is one of the best distributors of the ball in the world, if not the best. He can find an attacker with a pinpoint 60 yard ball as well as starting off moves from the back with clever use of his feet and quick thinking. Understudy Zack Steffen is good with his feet too, but he came a cropper when he tried to play the ball out, gifting Liverpool their crucial second goal.
Selected ahead of Ederson for the Wembley date, as one of a number of changes from City’s Champions League team, Steffen hesitated when John Stones passed back and Mane stole in to poke the ball home. The keeper’s manager Pep Guardiola defended the US stopper saying: “It was an accident. One of the strong points is to try to play and as a keeper he has this quality. When the ball is there it can always happen.” Kind worlds from his head coach but I bet Steffen wishes he had put his foot through the ball!
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
