Chelsea: Two lessons learned in FA Cup final defeat

Chelsea lost the FA Cup final in part thanks to their own doing and in part to outside factors. What lessons are there to be learned from the match?

In a match where two evenly sides, with two relatively green managers, challenging for silverware, Chelsea was handed the shorter hand of the stick by the official and poor organization. Here is what we learned from the FA Cup Final.

Anthony Taylor was Arsenal’s man of the match

Chelsea was decent and ready to handle Arsenal, but Anthony Taylor made it an impossible battle. For some reason, Anthony Taylor saw the opportunity to drown Chelsea in their own misery. After the Injuries of Cesar Azpilicueta and Christian Pulisic, whom are Chelsea’s best players at the moment, Taylor decided to throw the game in Arsenal’s way.

From questionable 50/50 challenges, to not even reviewing a hand ball outside the penalty box by the Arsenal keeper, and a red card to Mateo Kovacic, Taylor had himself a day. Further, Taylor decided that yellow cards were only fitting for the men in blue.

For starters, Kovacic and Mount both received a yellow card which were not warranted. The same fouls were committed by the Arsenal players and they were never sanctioned. Taylor saw challenge after challenge and looked the other way for the Arsenal players, but did not hesitate to make calls against Chelsea. Secondly, the red card on Kovacic was a disgrace as there was hardly any contact, and not worth a second yellow. Obviously, any referee with half a brain, and an unbiased one, would know that and allow the game to go on. But Taylor saw the opportunity to drown Chelsea, and he took it.

Since Azpilicueta and Pulisic were out to injury, this was the perfect time to blow the whistle against Chelsea and give Arsenal another FA Cup. Even at the end of the game, Pedro was clearly fouled at the edge of the box, but Anthony Taylor decided that Arsenal did not deserve such close call.

However, the most outstanding piece of officiating from Mr. Taylor was his audacity to not even review a hand ball by Arsenal’s keeper. Handballs are not objective, as the rules are often shaky and up for interpretation. But, when a keeper leaves his box even slightly and handles the ball with his hands, it should be reviewed. In this case, Mr. Taylor looked away and decided that it wasn’t even worth a review. This could have been a game changing moment for the Blues, but Taylor’s lack of common sense and integrity demanded that he let the situation slide under the rug of incompetence.

In the end, Chelsea did everything possible to even out the impossible odds. But Arsenal always had an extra man, even before the red card. Should certain calls had gone in Chelsea’s favor, like they should have, then the Blues could be lifting their first FA Cup with Frank Lampard.

The back line needs organization

A faulty back line was Chelsea’s demise today once again. Frank Lampard’s defense was all over the place, literally. Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen, and Reece James played in just about every position possible. From defensive midfielders, to attacking wingers and even forwards, the three defenders wanted to do everything but did absolutely nothing.

This was particularly noticeable in Rudiger whom was out of position, and failed to mark his man or cover the open spaces most of the time. Rudiger was so focused on being the star player that he ended up being Chelsea’s weak link when the team needed his leadership. The German international was found trying to attack and defend at the same time, which caused him the ability to do either.

This type of behavior is what sent him to the bench and, thanks to Lampard’s judgement call, Chelsea managed to get some discipline back. However, the “poor tactical” back line issue cannot continue next season if Chelsea want to win any silverware.

At the end, Chelsea did everything in their power to win. Despite a lack of competence and basic refereeing skills, Lampard had it all worked out to beat Arsenal. It was not going to be a pretty game, but it was going to be effective. Even after the injuries and the red card, Chelsea never gave up and pushed for the equalizer they deserved. Arsenal may have been given the game in a silver platter, but Chelsea left their blood and skin on the field despite Anthony Taylor’s best efforts to undermine the team.

What did you learn from the match? Let us know in the comments and on Twitter!