Chelsea Win The 137th FA Cup Final

[bennythedip2]

Chelsea 1-0 Manchester United: Eden Hazard strikes to secure FA Cup win (May 19 2018)

Eden Hazard fired Chelsea to FA Cup glory against Manchester United as Antonio Conte's expected farewell ended with a memorable triumph against old foe Jose Mourinho.

The 137th FA Cup final - and first utilising a video assistant referee - was not as cagey as some had feared but was hardly a rip-roaring affair as the Blues looked to atone for last season's shock finale defeat and a tepid Premier League title defence.

Mourinho came into the match looking to frustrate his former club and write his name into the record books, but Conte - subject of so much speculation regarding his future - emerged triumphant as Hazard's first-half penalty secured a 1-0 win at Wembley.

Many had fancied United to win a record-equalling 13th FA Cup on Saturday, but the Blues showed a spirit and skill level that has been lacking at times this season.

Tension behind the scenes has led to an uneasy feeling growing at Stamford Bridge, but Conte and all those clad in blue enjoyed a moment to savour as Hazard marked his 300th appearance for the club with a first-half winner.

The 27-year-old earned the spot-kick from which he scored, with United struggling to gather a coherent response and then failing to beat Thibaut Courtois after the break as Paul Pogba wasted the greatest chance late on.

It will be a memorable end if, as expected, this proves Conte's last match as Chelsea boss, whereas Mourinho sees this season's Premier League improvements tempered by the conspicuous absence of silverware.

Opta facts

Chelsea have won their 8th FA Cup and their first since 2012, level with Tottenham - only Man Utd (12) and Arsenal (13) have won more.
Seven of the last 10 FA Cup winners have been London clubs (Chelsea 4, Arsenal 3).
Jose Mourinho has lost his first cup final in charge of an English club, after winning each of the previous six (4 x League Cup, 1 x FA Cup, 1x Europa League).
Antonio Conte has tasted success in a domestic cup final for the first time in three attempts as a manager, after losing with Juventus vs Napoli in the 2012 Coppa Italia, and the 2017 FA Cup with Chelsea against Arsenal.
Manchester United appeared in their 20th FA Cup final – a joint-record with Arsenal.
Manchester United have won in just one of their last four FA Cup final appearances, beating Crystal Palace in 2016, losing to Chelsea in 2018 and 2007 and ending on the losing side to Arsenal courtesy of a penalty shoot-out in 2005
United mustered 18 shots in the game; they last attempted more shots without scoring in a match in all competitions in October 2016 (38 v Burnley in the Premier League).
Eden Hazard's penalty was the first scored in an FA Cup final since Ruud van Nistelrooy for Man Utd v Millwall in 2004 (excl shootouts).
Hazard's penalty was the first time since the 1982 replay between Spurs and QPR that the only goal of an FA Cup final came from the spot (Glenn Hoddle)
Hazard made his 300th appearance for Chelsea in all competitions.
Thibaut Courtois attempted 42 passes in the game, more than any of his outfield team-mates.

Post-match reaction

Chelsea captain Gary Cahill hailed the Wembley win over United as a "dream come true".

Cahill told BBC One: "You can see what it means to us, the staff, the fans. This was to save our season. Not in an arrogant way but we have to try and win things.

"That's two in two, a league title and an FA Cup."

Cahill won the Premier League title with Chelsea when John Terry was captain, making this cup success even more sweet.

"It's a dream come true as it's the first one as captain of the club. This is extra special for me," he added.

Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was pleased to claim some silverware after a tough season which saw Chelsea finish fifth in the Premier League.

"All season has been a long season with us with speculation about everything and it wasn't easy for us," the Belgium international said.

"(Manchester) City were amazing and we couldn't do anything about that but it's nice to finish the season with a trophy."
Eden Hazard scores a penalty for Chelsea in the 2018 FA Cup final

Match-winner Eden Hazard (above), like his manager Conte the subject of speculation about his future at Chelsea, wants the Blues to be more bold.

He told BBC One: "I think if we want to win games we'll need to play better as we just played defensively and we only scored one goal but the most important thing was to win and we won it, so I'm just happy. We didn't play a great season but at least we finished well."

Jose Mourinho said he was doing his duty as a sportsman by congratulating Chelsea's players and staff for their triumph - but the Portuguese thought his United side should have lifted the trophy.

"I congratulated them because they won but I don't think they deserved to win," he told BBC One.

"I congratulated them because I am a sportsman. They scored one more goal than us and they got the cup and so I've got to do what my job asks me to do.

"I'm the Manchester United manager and I have to be respectful, not just because they were my previous club but because they were the opponent that won the cup.

"I think we deserved to win, I think we were the best team, but that's football."