FA CUP FINAL UPDATE

23’Great block by Mertesacker! Chelsea string together their best series of passes just outside of the box before Nemanja Matic tees up Costa, but, just as the striker is about to shoot, Mertesacker dives in his way to deny him a chance on goal.<! – – more–>

21’Kante and Victor Moses link up well deep down the right wing before the Frenchman tries to swing a cross into the Arsenal penalty area, but he caught do so quickly enough and is closed down by Sanchez, who does well to get back and help out defensively.

19’Welbeck hits the post! Ozil’s cross from the corner is a great one and finds the head of Welbeck, who rises high above his marker before beating Courtois with a wonderful headed effort. It can only hit the woodwork, however, before Ramsey knocks his close-range follow-up behind with his chest.

18’Arsenal string together a few lovely passes before a clever pass is slipped into the path of Welbeck inside the penalty area. He looks set to test Courtois with a first-time shot, but Marcos Alonso is there to poke the ball out for a corner with a sliding interception.

16’Off the line by Gary Cahill! Ozil is set up by Sanchez and goes one-on-one with Courtois over on the right-hand side of the penalty area. He chips a deft shot over the goalkeeper and towards goal, but Cahill is there to cut out the danger at the vital moment.

15’Vital block by three Arsenal defenders! Hazard is presented with his first chance to break into the opposition’s box. He darts forward before taking on Per Mertesacker, who does well to dispossess the Belgian. The ball then bounces over to Costa, who unleashes a thumping strike that’s brilliantly smothered by a group of Arsenal players.

14’Sanchez goes close! Oxlade-Chamberlain chips a lovely dinked pass down the left wing and into the path of Danny Welbeck, who holds off David Luiz before spinning and finding Sanchez. The Chilean takes a quick touch and then unleashes a thumping 25-yard shot, but it flies a few yards over the top of the crossbar.

13’It’s all Arsenal, who have started the game brilliantly. This time it’s Ozil who cuts inside from the right flank before trying to tee up Ramsey on the edge of the penalty area, but his pass is slightly overhit and can’t reach the Welshman.

11’Arsenal continue putting pressure on the Chelsea back line as they look for a second goal. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is initially dispossessed by N’Golo Kante before winning the ball back from the Frenchman, but he can’t pick out a team-mate and loses out to Eden Hazard.

9’Pedro weaves his way through the middle of the pitch on a lovely run. He darts into the Arsenal half of the pitch before taking on Ramsey, who cynically fouls the Spaniard before he’s also clattered into by Nacho Monreal, resulting in the first yellow card of the game.

7’It’s kicking off! Chelsea immediately burst forward from the restart before Diego Costa tangles with Rob Holding, resulting in a fracas between the two players. The referee rewards a free-kick that’s eventually swung into the box, where Costa’s headed effort loops over the top of the crossbar.

5’The Chelsea players are absolutely fuming 

4GOAL! Big call by the referee! Mesut Ozil’s cross into the penalty area is easily cut out by Thibaut Courtois, whose quick throw is a poor one. Arsenal push back again before a chipped pass forward from Sanchez isn’t dealt with by Kante, allowing the Chilean to charge into the box before slotting a lovely low strike under the body of Courtois.

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.