Chelsea beat Palace 2-0 to book FA Cup final against Liverpool

FA Cup semifinal clash between Chelsea and Crystal Palace - Reuters

LONDON (Reuters): Chelsea reached their third straight FA Cup final with a hard-earned 2-0 win over Crystal Palace at Wembley Stadium on Sunday to set up a showdown with quadruple-chasing Liverpool.

Second-half goals from Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mason Mount fired Thomas Tuchel’s side to victory in the semi-final and secured a place in the May 14 showpiece match versus Liverpool, who beat Manchester City 3-2 on Saturday.

In their fifth FA Cup final appearance in six years, Chelsea will look to make amends after being runners-up to Leicester City and Arsenal in the last two seasons and also try to avenge their League Cup final loss to Liverpool in February.

“I’m happy to be part of another FA Cup final,” Tuchel said. “It’s a huge competition. I’m very grateful and we’ll be ready.”

The win was a tonic for eight-time FA Cup winners Chelsea after Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final exit at Real Madrid, where the holders won the second leg 3-2 after extra time but were eliminated 5-4 on aggregate. It also keeps them in contention to end a turbulent season with silverware when they take on Juergen Klopp’s Liverpool again next month, having lost 11-10 to them on penalties in the League Cup final in February after a 0-0 draw following extra time.