Bernardo Silva’s late strike punishes wasteful Chelsea in FA Cup semi-final

The finish was certainly a lot more decisive than that infamous Champions League shoot-out penalty Bernardo Silva chipped gently three days earlier, and this time Manchester City could say they had won an FA Cup semi-final without their usual domination.

This was a tired Pep Guardiola team playing from memory of the old passing patterns and territorial gains, but much more vulnerable than usual. If Real Madrid had shown the way to exploit the space in behind City then Chelsea followed by example, although it will be much to Mauricio Pochettino’s regret that he does not have a goalscorer like those available at the Bernabeu.

With 84 minutes on the clock it was Bernardo who drilled in the winner from close range and City were in the FA Cup final, with the Premier League and Cup double still very much in their sights. His penalty against Real, which prefaced Champions League shoot-out defeat, had been a rare glitch in the City system. On this afternoon they seemed to be slowing even more although they found a way to win.

Pochettino would later confront referee Michael Oliver about a strong claim for a penalty when Jack Grealish appeared to raise a hand in the defensive wall facing a free-kick on 55 minutes. The Chelsea manager will also no doubt linger on the many chances that fell the way of his striker Nicolas Jackson. The young Senegalese striker is an elegant runner in behind defences but he seems to be trying to finish in a foreign language.

There was no Erling Haaland in the City line-up, still carrying the injury that meant he did not play extra-time on Wednesday. John Stones could be seen retching on the pitch during the first half and did not come out for the second. Yet it is the mark of the men under Guardiola that they just kept going.

This had been a Chelsea performance that might yet have proved a turning point for their season. Cole Palmer had his moments in the game, without ever quite dominating it as he might, and most crucially the chances just passed Chelsea by. Tired and frustrated, City’s usual suspects seemed to realise that Chelsea would not take their chance. True to form it was Kevin De Bruyne, after a mediocre game, who provided the assist for Bernardo’s goal.