Twitter explodes as Chelsea end Manchester City's quadruple dreams to reach FA Cup final
A second-half tap-in from Hakim Ziyech steered Chelsea to the FA Cup final, as they beat Manchester City by a solitary goal at the Wembley Stadium.
A sensational display underlined by a perfect measure of pragmatism rounded off one of the best performances by the Londoners under Thomas Tuchel.
Chelsea finished the first half as the more promising side, as they played around the Manchester City press and worked the ball better than their opponents.
The Blues' full-backs were far more advanced than one would have thought against a dangerous counter-pressing side like Manchester City, which in turn allowed Hakim Ziyech and Mason Mount to break into little pockets of space.
The latter weaved his way through the Cityzens' defense multiple times in the first half, while Chelsea's best chance fell to Chilwell. The left-back arrived at the far post to get to a Reece James cross but volleyed wide of the goal, much to the relief of a completely undone Manchester City backline.
As for Guardiola's side, Kevin De Bruyne was mobile in the middle of the park, with his decision-making keeping the likes of Cesar Azpilicueta and Jorginho on their toes. Fernandinho's wide header off a Raheem Sterling pass was all the Cityzens could muster in the opening 45 minutes of the game.
The Blues drew first blood just as the City players started to grow in stature in the second half, with a fine dribble from Mason Mount launching Timo Werner forward. The German squared a sublime pass to Ziyech, who tapped the ball into an open net.
Manchester City responded by smothering Chelsea all over their half following the introduction of creative players in Ilkay Gundogan and Phil Foden. Chelsea, as they have done so under Tuchel since his arrival, stuck to their shape in a back five and defended wonderfully.
Ziyech could have scored another goal moments later, but he missed a glorious opportunity to seal the game for his side. Nevertheless, Chelsea became the first English side since late November to shut Manchester City out in a game of football.
Christian Pulisic almost masterminded the smash-and-grab for Chelsea with a stunning goal in added time, only for the goal to be chalked off for offside.
The Blues will meet the winner of the game between Leicester City and Southampton at the Wembley Stadium, while Guardiola's chance of rewriting another piece of history with a quadruple comes to an end.
On that note, we list the top tweets from Chelsea's emphatic FA Cup semi-final victory against Manchester City.
Chelsea v Manchester City Twitter Reactions