Chelsea forward Timo Werner © AP Photo
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Bola.net – First Cup Semi Final FA Cup 2020/21 has been held at Wembley. Chelsea managed to ensure themselves qualify for the FA Cup final after beating Manchester City with a thin score of 1-0.
In this match the journey was fierce from the start. Both teams desperately want to qualify for the next round.
Chelsea, who appeared to press from the start, appeared to be pressing, often troubling Man City. However, their efforts paid off at the start of the second half after Hakim Ziyech broke into Zack Steffen’s goal.
From this match, there were some players who stood out throughout the match and some played poorly.
Who is playing well and who is playing badly? Let’s take a peek here.
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1 of 14
Judge Ziyech – Winner
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Hakim Ziyech’s celebration after breaking into Manchester City’s goal, Sunday (18/4/2021) © AP Photo
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The first player to play well in this match was Hakim Ziyech. Naturally, if he falls into this category because the winger scored the only goal in this match.
At the start of the first half, he actually scored a goal, but unfortunately Timo Werner, who gave the bait, was caught offside first.
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2 of 14
Zack Steffen – Loser
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Zack Steffen © Bundesliga
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One of City’s worst players in this match is Zack Steffen.
The City reserve goalkeeper should have conceded three goals in this match. But fortunately VAR annulled two other Chelsea goals.
When Ziyech’s goal was scored, he could have cut the flow of the ball, but because he looked hesitant, Ziyech managed to hit the ball in the net.
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3 of 14
N’Golo Kante – Winner
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© AP Photo
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One of the reasons Chelsea was able to win in this match was thanks to the hard work of N’Golo Kante.
In this match, Kante was really dominant in midfield. He often cut the flow of The Citizens’ ball so that City’s attack failed to pose a significant threat to Chelsea.
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4 of 14
Fernandinho – Loser
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Fernandinho © Manchester City FC
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Installed as a defensive midfielder, Fernandinho shows that he is indeed getting old.
Instead of serving as a ball winning midfielder, he was often embarrassed by Mason Mount’s frequent passes and unable to catch up with the young Chelsea midfielder.
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5 of 14
Timo Werner – Winner
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Chelsea forward Timo Werner © AP Photo
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Even though he didn’t score a goal, Timo Werner deserves to be called one of Chelsea’s best players in this match.
Even though he didn’t score a goal, he often bothered City’s defense with his speed. He released two passes which led to two goals, but the first goal had to be disallowed because he was caught offside first.
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6 of 14
Kevin De Bruyne – Loser
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Manchester City player Kevin De Bruyne © AP Photo
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As the ‘brains’ of City’s game, Kevin De Bruyne can be said to appear disappointing in this match.
In the first half, he had difficulty adjusting the tempo so that Chelsea was more dominant and threatened the City goal. He struggled to create meaningful opportunities in this match.
He was also withdrawn less than five minutes at the start of the second half with an injury.
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7 of 14
Cesar Azpilicueta – Winner
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Duel Cesar Azpilicueta and Joao Felix, Chelsea vs Atletico Madrid, Champions League 2020/21. © AP Photo
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One of the players who caused Chelsea to win a clean sheet in this match was Cesar Azpilicueta.
The veteran defender has incredible statistics. He successfully released three tackles, made 5 strokes and one intercept in this match, so that City’s attack did not pose a threat to the Chelsea defense.
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8 of 14
Gabriel Jesus – Loser
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Bernardo Silva and Gabriel Jesus, heroes of Manchester City’s victory over Monchengladbach, Thursday (25/2/2021) © AP Photo
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Believed to be a striker, Gabriel Jesus seemed helpless in this match.
Throughout the match he was only able to create one chance, and that opportunity was easily secured by Kepa.
But Jesus himself cannot be completely blamed, because the Brazilian striker did not get enough balls in this match.
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9 of 14
Mason Mount – Winner
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Mason Mount, England midfielder. © AP Photo
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Chelsea’s winning brain in this match can be said to be in the figure of Mason Mount.
The England national team player has visionary passes. One of them he made a key pass for Timo Werner before the German striker assisted Hakim Ziyech’s goal.
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10 of 14
Raheem Sterling – Loser
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Manchester City player, Raheem Sterling. © AP Photo
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Raheem Sterling again showed a poor performance in this match.
The winger struggled to make dangerous chances, and once he got his chance he failed to convert well.
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11 of 14
Antonio Rudiger – Winner
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Antonio Rudiger when competing in the match between Krasnodar vs Chelsea on matchday 2 of the 2020-21 Champions League. © AP Photo
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Apart from Azpilicueta, Rudiger is also a formidable wall for Chelsea’s defense.
With his great stature, he is very difficult for City attackers to pass. He is also dominant in aerial duels so as to cross passes
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12 of 14
Benjamin Mendy – Loser
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Benjamin Mendy during his protest to referee Cuneyt Cakir © AP Photo
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It’s not an exaggeration to call Benjamin Mendy Man City’s worst player in this match.
The defender often came forward to help attack but was frustrated when he was attacked by Chelsea. Ziyech’s goal is a clear example of how Mendy came late to help the defense.
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13 of 14
Thomas Tuchel – Winner
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Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel. © AP Photo
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Thomas Tuchel deserves appreciation for Chelsea’s win against City.
Lowering the three defenders scheme, Chelsea appeared dominant and immediately stepped on the gas from the start. He also successfully organized the Chelsea defense to appear solid in this match.
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14 of 14
Pep Guardiola – Loser
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Manchester City manager Josep Guardiola. © AP Photo
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Pep Guardiola was more or less responsible for City’s defeat in this match.
The scheme he chose did not work out well, and his starting line-up was also questionable as he left several important players on the bench.
In the second half he made two changes which were more or less enough to improve the performance of The Citizens. But unfortunately the change was too late so City failed to score an equalizer.
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