The Pride of London
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Chelsea vs Leicester City player ratings: Blues blow FA Cup final

By Akshat Mehrish

Chelsea's English midfielder Mason Mount reacts after missing a chance during the English FA Cup final football match between Chelsea and Leicester City at Wembley Stadium in north west London on May 15, 2021. - - NOT FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING USE / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo by Kirsty Wigglesworth / POOL / AFP) / NOT FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING USE / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo by KIRSTY WIGGLESWORTH/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Chelsea's English midfielder Mason Mount reacts after missing a chance during the English FA Cup final football match between Chelsea and Leicester City at Wembley Stadium in north west London on May 15, 2021. - - NOT FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING USE / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo by Kirsty Wigglesworth / POOL / AFP) / NOT FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING USE / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo by KIRSTY WIGGLESWORTH/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 15: Thiago Silva of Chelsea is challenged by Jamie Vardy of Leicester City during The Emirates FA Cup Final match between Chelsea and Leicester City at Wembley Stadium on May 15, 2021 in London, England. A limited number of around 21,000 fans, subject to a negative lateral flow test, will be allowed inside Wembley Stadium to watch this year’s FA Cup Final as part of a pilot event to trial the return of large crowds to UK venues. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 15: Thiago Silva of Chelsea is challenged by Jamie Vardy of Leicester City during The Emirates FA Cup Final match between Chelsea and Leicester City at Wembley Stadium on May 15, 2021 in London, England. A limited number of around 21,000 fans, subject to a negative lateral flow test, will be allowed inside Wembley Stadium to watch this year’s FA Cup Final as part of a pilot event to trial the return of large crowds to UK venues. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images) /

Chelsea was out for retribution in the FA Cup final after falling at the same stage last year. Frank Lampard’s Blues were beaten in the final of the tournament in 2020 by Arsenal. With a new head coach at the helm, and a new opposition standing on the other side of the pitch, the Londoners wished to be second-time lucky.

As is the case with most of the finals, the first half was a cagey affair. Chelsea dominated possession but did not create any clear-cut opportunities. Timo Werner—who led the attack on the night—had a few shots blocked, but apart from that, the Blues rarely threatened the Leicester goal. The Foxes, on the other hand, were happy to sit back and play on the counter. Jamie Vardy did get the chance to shoot inside the box, but his attempt was blocked by Reece James, who, shockingly, was deployed as a centreback.

Youri Tielemans gave Leicester City the lead just past the hour-mark. The Belgian’s slammed an unstoppable shot from distance into the top corner, despite the best attempts of Kepa Arrizabalaga. Chelsea threw forward its attackers, but it wasn’t to be their night. Ben Chilwell—on as a substitute—hit the post first and later had a goal disallowed for a marginal offside. Mason Mount too drew a fantastic stop from Kasper Schmeichel, but the Blues were unable to find the all-important goal. They ended up losing the match, and consequently, their second FA Cup final in a row.

Here are the player ratings from this crushing defeat:

Kepa Arrizabalaga (Goalkeeper): 6.5/10

Thomas Tuchel confirmed that Kepa Arrizabalaga would be starting the cup final earlier in the week. The Spaniard did not have much to do on the night, and there was nothing he could’ve done to stop Tielemans’ strike from going into the top corner. Arrizabalaga was alert to the runs of the opposition attackers and did come out of the box to intercept one such long pass to Jamie Vardy.

Reece James (Centreback): 6.5/10

The big surprise of the match was Reece James starting as a centreback instead of Cesar Azpilicueta; who was deployed further forward by Tuchel. It was a move to counter the pace of Jamie Vardy, to that end, it worked perfectly. James marshaled the Leicester City striker around with ease, denying him the chance to run clear of the defense. However, he did give away the ball cheaply for the Foxes’ only goal of the match.

Thiago Silva (Centreback): 7/10

Thiago Silva played a stunning long pass to Ben Chilwell for what Chelsea thought was the equalizer. However, VAR controversially ruled the goal out for a marginal offside call against the former Leicester player. Defensively, the Brazilian enjoyed a good game. However, he was left stranded for the Foxes’ only goal of the match, as a quick turnover inside the Chelsea half allowed Tielemans the chance to shoot.

Antonio Rudiger (Centreback): 6.5/10

It wasn’t the kind of performance we have come to expect from Antonio Rudiger lately. He was tasked with the responsibility of closing down Kelechi Iheanacho—a job he performed well. However, he refrained from taking risks, and as a result, we didn’t get to see many surging runs into the opposition box.

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