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Chelsea will face Arsenal in the final of the FA Cup after an impressive showing against an in-form Manchester United side. The Blues had 48 hours more to rest than their opponents and it showed from the start till the end in the FA Cup semi-final. Manchester United haven't looked as uninspired or insipid this season, over the course of the 90 minutes, as they did today.
A change of system, Manchester United starting with a 3-5-2, didn't help either as they continued to look clueless all over the pitch. Add a couple of David de Gea bloopers to the mix and Manchester United had a terrible outing as they crashed out of the FA Cup by 3 goals to 1.
It was Chelsea who took the lead right before half-time when Olivier Giroud flicked home a Cesar Azpilicueta cross. De Gea should have done better with it. However, it was shortly after the second half started that De Gea's lack of focus really cost Manchester United.
Mason Mount's speculative effort from 30 odd yards out would have been kept out by any goalkeeper playing in the English top flight but De Gea made a right mess of it and pawed it into his own net.
Harry Maguire toe poked one into his own net in the 74th minute to put the result beyond doubt. Anthony Martial won a penalty and Bruno Fernandes converted it in the 85th minute but it was too little too late for the Red Devils.
Here are the hits and flops from the game:
#5 Hit - Reece James (Chelsea)
Reece James was his usual energetic self from the get-go and didn't give Brandon Williams a moment of rest. He was a live wire down the right flank for Chelsea and even tested De Gea from distance inside the opening quarter of the match.
He also dispensed his defensive duties with aplomb. Marcus Rashford, usually a menacing presence with his pace and all-round ability, was forced to remain silent for almost the entirety of his stint on the turf.
Suffice to say, Chelsea's Reece James showed up to the occasion today and then some. His numbers on the day are quite incredible.
#4 Flop - Harry Maguire (Manchester United)
The Manchester United captain had a horrible outing. He looked out of his element from the offing and it was not a pretty sight watching him sauntering around and then finally scoring an own goal to cap off an entirely forgettable day.
Maguire struggled greatly against Chelsea's Olivier Giroud and more so in the second half after the Frenchman had grown in confidence after scoring the opening goal of the game. Maguire looked tired and uninspired in the centre, misplacing his passes way too often and not converting a golden opportunity from a corner on the other end of the pitch.
It's a day that Harry Maguire will not look back fondly on and United fans will be hoping that he can get over it before they take on West Ham on Wednesday.
#3 Hit - Mason Mount (Chelsea)
Manchester United's change in shape not only upset their recent trend but also upset their rhythm going forward. Chelsea were happy to make them pay for it. Fred and Matic looked deprived of options whenever they received the ball and the presence of Chelsea's promising youngster Mason Mount had a lot to do with it.
Mount had one foot on the gas whenever he received the ball between the lines and was always looking to play Willian or Reece James in. In the second half, he carried the ball a fair 20 yards before getting a decent effort on goal and was rewarded owing to some horrible goalkeeping from David de Gea.
He was quick and slick with his passing and even put a few really good tackles in and was a real presence in that midfield. This game was won by Chelsea in the midfield and the young Mason Mount was at the heart of it.
#2 Flop - David de Gea (Manchester United)
David de Gea can still pull off some saves that only he can. But that is no excuse for performances like the one he put in today. De Gea had an absolute nightmare of a game where he conceded two soft goals and effectively killed his team's chances of getting into the FA Cup final.
While he could have done much better about the first goal, it could be argued that the reaction time was too limited. However, there was no excuse for letting Mason Mount's rather negotiable shot from 30 yards out creep into the back of the net. It was supposed to be a routine stop but De Gea somehow managed to make a mess of it.
The mistakes are coming in far too frequently for De Gea and it is starting to cause worrylines on both Solskjaer's and the United supporters' faces. All this while, a keen Dean Henderson is watching from the sidelines.
#1 Hit - Olivier Giroud (Chelsea)
Olivier Giroud has, since the restart, been one of Chelsea's best players and he continued his good run with a match winning performance today. His physicality was always going to pose problems for the United backline but even Solskjaer wouldn't have expected the Frenchman to have such an impact.
After poking home Chelsea's first goal thanks to some help from De Gea, Giroud was tough to negotiate with in the second half. The striker grew in confidence after scoring that goal and caused problems throughout, winning aerial duels and letting the Chelsea midfielders play off him by backing into the likes of Maguire and Bailly.
He got the better of Victor Lindelof who seems to be making a habit of getting on the wrong side of attackers inside his own box but it takes a striker of good quality to take advantage and at the moment, Giroud is definitely that.
