Of all the selection decisions Ole Gunnar Solskjær made for this FA Cup semi-final, the one to persist with David de Gea rather than call upon Sergio Romero looked the safest; the least eyebrow-raising.
The Manchester United manager named Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood among his substitutes but, in goal, he went for continuity and the promise of stability, which spelt disappointment for Romero, who had played in almost all of the club’s cup ties this season. The notable exception had been both legs of the Carabao Cup semi-final lost to Manchester City.
De Gea, though, had an evening that not only cost his team dearly but raised fundamental questions as to whether he retains the ability to perform at the needed level for the club.
The 29-year-old has made errors this season and, his position being the most exposed on the field, the criticism has been strong. Remember when he allowed a shot from Tottenham’s Steven Bergwijn to go through his hands in United’s first game back after the restart? Roy Keane, the former club captain, said that he would have punched him.
This was worse, De Gea failing not once but twice to deal with routine shots at his goal. It left his team 2-0 down and spinning towards a first defeat in 20 matches. He was not the only player in a United shirt that failed to turn up. Harry Maguire had a dreadful game, which was summed up when, under pressure from Antonio Rüdiger, the captain diverted a Marcos Alonso cross past De Gea for Chelsea’s third. Across the field, United’s players were second best. They made mistakes and lacked basic sharpness.
But De Gea was the villain-in-chief from a United point of view, the player who did the most to influence the result. The first concession saw him allow Olivier Giroud’s flick to squirm away – he got nothing behind the ball and allowed it to roll almost apologetically over the line – and the second was even more glaring. De Gea had the time to get across to Mason Mount’s low shot from outside the area but he went down slowly and merely turned the ball into the corner of his net. How were his hands so weak? It looked as though all the confidence had drained from them.
Chelsea were helped by De Gea but, equally, they helped themselves. Giroud and Mount were excellent but, as Frank Lampard said, he could run through his team and find determination and decisiveness. The manager’s switch to a back three worked well, Chelsea’s pressed and hustled from the outset and, after three previous losses to United this season, they could at last savour a victory. They will fancy their chances against Arsenal in the final.
Lampard rested the in-form Christian Pulisic but Chelsea’s lineup looked closer to full strength and they were more cohesive and dangerous than their opponents. They even delighted Lampard by committing 21 fouls.
The opening goal came 11 minutes into first-half stoppage time – the additional minutes being necessitated by a clash of heads between Maguire and Eric Bailly, in which the latter came off worse. Bailly had been able to regain his feet after treatment but he looked unsteady and went back down. He was eventually removed on a stretcher, his neck in a brace, applause from both sets of players in his ears. Maguire played on with his head in a bandage.
Giroud scored when he got in front of Victor Lindelöf to touch César Azpilicueta’s cross towards goal, but it was mainly about what De Gea did not do. Giroud now has his sights on a fifth FA Cup winner’s medal at the expense of Arsenal, his former club.
Solskjær had started with 3‑4‑1‑2 but, with little happening in a creative sense, he went back to 4‑2‑3‑1 after Bailly was forced off, with Martial coming on up front. Martial’s first act was almost to win a penalty. He charged on to a long ball and Kurt Zouma went through his foot in the process of clearing. It looked like a foul, although it appeared to be marginally outside the box.
United were so sloppy and if Chelsea’s second was another personal disaster for De Gea, then Brandon Williams will not enjoy the inquest, either. He played a pass inside and succeeded only in finding Mount, who ran unchecked towards the edge of the United area before shooting for goal. Each TV replay looked more damning than the previous one for De Gea.
Chelsea ought to have been in front from the 16th minute only for Alonso to blow a free header at the back post from Azpilicueta’s cross and they might have scored more in the second half. Mount flashed high; De Gea saved from Giroud and Reece James, and the substitute Callum Hudson-Odoi was wasteful at the end.
For United, Marcus Rashford went close and Maguire fluffed two good headed chances. A penalty from Bruno Fernandes, awarded after Hudson-Odoi had tripped Martial, was the most hollow of consolations.
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