Chelsea reach FA Cup final, thrash Spurs 5-1

LONDON (AFP) –
Chelsea thrashed
Tottenham Hotspur
5-1 to set up an FA
Cup final showdown
with old rivals
Liverpool after a
Wembley semi-final
tinged by
controversy here
on Sunday.
Goals from Didier
Drogba, Juan Mata,
Ramires, Frank
Lampard and
Florent Malouda
saw Chelsea romp
into their fourth FA
Cup final in six
years, with
Tottenham’s lone
strike coming from
Gareth Bale.
The win was the
perfect preparation
for Chelsea ahead
of their Champions
League semi-final
first-leg meeting
with Barcelona at
Stamford Bridge on
Wednesday.
But the occasion
was marred by
controversy before
and during the
match, with sections
of Chelsea’s
support chanting
and jeering during
a minute’s silence
prior to kick-off to
mark the
anniversary of the
1989 Hillsborough
disaster.
Chelsea were also
the beneficiaries of
a deeply
controversial
decision by referee
Martin Atkinson for
their second goal,
scored by Mata,
which replays
suggested should
not have stood.
Bale briefly gave
Tottenham hope of
a fightback with a
goal on 56 minutes
to make it 2-1 but a
sublime finish from
Ramires, a stunning
35-yard free-kick
from Lampard and a
late effort from
Malouda took
Chelsea out of
sight.
Chelsea captain
John Terry later
admitted Mata’s
hugely
controversial goal
should not have
been awarded.
“I thought Mata’s
strike hit me and
didn’t go over (the
line), but the
linesman’s seen it
and given it,”
Terry told BBC
radio.
“I honestly don’t
think it went over
the line but the
linesman gave it
and there’s nothing
we can do about
that. Spurs are one
of the best sides in
the league. It was a
great performance
and a great result.”
Earlier, Tottenham
appeared to be the
likeliest to break
the deadlock in a
first half that was
slow to get going,
only to be denied
by the woodwork
and a goal-line
clearance from
Terry.
Terry’s last-ditch
heroics came on 36
minutes when he
blocked a close-
range header from
Rafael van der
Vaart.
Four minutes later
Spurs threatened
again, when van
der Vaart’s long
ball forward for
Emmanuel Adebayor
missed everyone
and rattled the
upright.
Yet just when it
seemed Spurs were
on the verge of an
opener, Chelsea
took the lead with a
goal on 43 minutes
that owed
everything to the
raw power of
Drogba.
A long ball forward
from Lampard found
the Ivorian, who
held off William
Gallas and turned
before crashing an
unstoppable shot
past Carlo Cudicini
for 1-0.
Chelsea appeared
to be intent on
killing the game off
early in the second
half, Cudicini making
a brilliant one-
handed save from
Mata on 48 minutes
to deny the impish
playmaker once
more.
But Chelsea were to
double their lead in
controversial
circumstances from
the ensuing corner.
Cudicini pulled off
another stunning
block to keep away
David Luiz’s near-
post header, but
the ball fell only as
far as Mata.
The number 10′s
shot flew hard and
low into the goal-
mouth and hit a
tangle of bodies on
the goal-line.
Referee Atkinson
hesitated before
awarding the goal
but television
replays appeared
to show that the
ball had not
crossed the line.
Tottenham’s
players protested
but Mata and
Chelsea celebrated
a 2-0 lead.
Spurs responded
well and got back
into the contest
with a well-taken
goal when a
wonderful pass
from Scott Parker
sent Adebayor
racing through on
Peter Cech.
The Togolese
international
touched past the
Chelsea goalkeeper
but was brought
crashing down.
Atkinson played
advantage,
however, and Bale
was on hand to
side-foot into an
empty net and make
it 2-1.
The goal came at a
price for Chelsea,
with Luiz carried off
with what looked
like a hamstring
injury that may
leave him in doubt
for Wednesday’s
clash with
Barcelona.
Yet hopes of a
Tottenham
fightback were
short-lived. A
delicate Mata pass
picked out Ramires,
who dinked in
Chelsea’s third on
77 minutes, and
four minutes later,
Lampard stepped
up to lash in his
long-range effort.
In injury time,
substitute Malouda
made it 5-1 from
Mata’s pass as
Spurs’ evening
came to a miserable
end.

Source: www.vanguardngr.com