Series of errors sinks Chelsea's hopes of a domestic double at the FA Cup

Arsenal had the better of Chelsea across the full 90 minutes of the FA Cup. A few errors determined the scoreline in an entertaining but dispiriting – and deserved – Chelsea defeat.

Given the run of play in the first half, 1-0 was an unusual scoreline for Chelsea and Arsenal to take into the break. If not for Gary Cahill, Arsenal could have been up 3-0 after 45 minutes. But if not for match official Anthony Taylor, Chelsea could have miraculously escaped the half on scoreless level terms.

Arsenal’s opening goal came as a result of at least two errors by match official Anthony Taylor. Taylor first missed Alexis Sanchez using his arms to take the ball out of the air and ping it perfectly into the box. At the moment Sanchez played the ball forward with his arms, Aaron Ramsey was three yards offside and trotting back towards Chelsea defensive line.

The linesman on the far side immediately raised his flag, and kept it up for the duration of the subsequent play. Ramsey ran back towards the goal but knew he was offside. He stopped abruptly and raised both hands in front of Thibaut Courtois. Courtois had started coming out of his goal, and may have stopped when he saw Ramsey coming towards him. As a result he was not in a strong position or stance when Sanchez one-timed his own pass into the net.

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Taylor conferred with his linesman before awarding the goal. Taylor either overruled his linesman on Ramsey’s offside positioning, or deemed that Ramsey did not interfere with the play. Either decision is an error, compounding his initial mistake in not seeing or calling Sanchez’s handball.

Victor Moses had a poor game for most of 67 minutes. His opposite number, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, out-classed him in nearly every battle and facet. Already on a yellow card, Moses decided to try to settle his score with Oxlade-Chamberlain the cheap way.

While Diego Costa and Eden Hazard may sometimes go down easily, or theatrically, they at least require contact before going to ground. Moses set no such standard. He collapsed even before Oxlade-Chamberlain’s tackle, which was laughably light under any circumstances. Moses knew that Taylor had him dead to rights on the simulation and subsequent second yellow. He spared Wembley any further pantomimes and made no attempt to protest.

Still, Chelsea levelled 18 minutes later through Diego Costa. But after needing 45 minutes just to wake into the game and another 23 to score, Chelsea immediately lapsed.

N’Golo Kante failed to cover Aaron Ramsey’s drift forward as Arsenal brought the play down Chelsea’s right side. Marcos Alonso was level with Kante, but also did not predict – let alone pick up – Ramsey’s movement or the ball. David Luiz was watching Olivier Giroud and the ball, and did not see Ramsey come in behind him. Only when Giroud picked out the pass was Luiz attuned to the danger, by which time Ramsey was unmarked on the spot.

Ramsey was in the centre of a Blue triangle – Kante, Alonso and Luiz – when he fired Arsenal back into the lead. His goal was not the result of any particularly pace, power or guile. He merely stayed just far enough away from Chelsea players who were willing to give him that space.

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Anthony Taylor’s pile of errors gave Arsenal their first lead. Chelsea’s multi-man mistake permitted Arsenal to retake it. Victor Moses’ foolishness made Chelsea’s already difficult, against-the-run-of-play challenge that much harder. A deserved but perhaps avoidable loss for the Blues.

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Series of errors sinks Chelsea’s hopes of a domestic double at the FA Cup

By George Perry | May 28, 2017

Arsenal had the better of Chelsea across the full 90 minutes of the FA Cup. A few errors determined the scoreline in an entertaining but dispiriting – and deserved – Chelsea defeat.

More from The Pride of London