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Chelsea fans have reacted to Ben Chilwell's failure to deliver the ball to teammate Raheem Sterling in their FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City on Saturday, April 20.
Chilwell, who has returned from a brief period of injury and illness, was brought on in the dying embers of the Blues' crucial clash against City. With Pep Guardiola's men already 1-0 up, Chilwell was presented with an opportunity to cross the ball to Sterling in the 89th minute of the game.
However, despite City exposing their defensive frailties in the last few minutes of the game, the Englishman failed to complete the pass, leaving fans fuming.
A video of the incident has also been widely circulated, with fans criticising the former Leicester City defender. Here's a collection of their posts on X (formerly Twitter):
"Ruud Gullit is now laughing as they show him the Chilwell chance. “It’s bad. It’s so bad. I would lose my mind."
"Why didn’t Chilwell pass to Sterling earlier? He was free for SO LONG"
"Chilwell is BEYOND finished," chimed in another fan.
Referring to Cole Palmer and Nicholas Jackson also running parallel to Chilwell and appearing free to receive the pass, a fan said:
"Chilwell had 3 chances to play that ball, I’m dead."
A fan commented on Chilwell's performances for Chelsea in the recent past and said:
"I never want to watch Ben Chilwell again. He’s been useless for 3 seasons."
Chelsea were defeated 0-1 by defending champions Manchester City at the Wembley Stadium in London, depriving the Blues of their fourth FA Cup final appearance in the last five years.
Chelsea will most likely be without silverware this season as well
The Blues have had a turbulent last couple of seasons. Additionally, ever since they won the Champions League in 2021, defeating Manchester City, they have been winless against the Cityzens in all competitions.
Mauricio Pochettino's men lost the Carabao Cup final as well, losing 0-1 to Liverpool. Their FA Cup exit means that the Blues will be without silverware for their second consecutive season.
They currently sit in the ninth spot in the Premier League and have little to no chance of securing a place in any European competition.
The west London club returns to Premier League action on Tuesday, April 23, when they cross paths with Arsenal, who currently hold the second position on the table.
