Reece James cursed as Chelsea have just broken abysmal 57-year record

Chelsea extended their winless run to 14 matches against Manchester City with a 1-0 defeat in the FA Cup final.

Antoine Semenyo's delicious flick into the bottom left corner broke Chelsea supporters' hearts at Wembley Stadium and ensured Calum McFarlane's side ended the campaign trophy-less.

The Blues did create some great openings on Saturday afternoon, but lacked the clinical edge when it mattered and were ultimately punished by Semenyo's piece of skill.

It was disappointing to see McFarlane's tenure as interim boss end on a sour note, with Chelsea facing the prospect of missing out on Europe, and he was sadly on the wrong side of history following the loss.

Chelsea break unwanted FA Cup record

According to Opta, the Blues became the first side to lose four consecutive FA Cup final appearances since Leicester City between 1949 and 1969.

Defeats against Arsenal, Leicester, Liverpool and now City saw them equal an unwanted record at Wembley Stadium, with Reece James becoming only the second player since Paul Bracewell to play in all four FA Cup finals and lose them all.

That is an unfortunate record to have as a player, and one he doesn't deserve, but will be determined to forget about now that Xabi Alonso has signed a four-year contract at Stamford Bridge.

It was announced shortly after the game that Alonso was taking over from McFarlane and would be officially unveiled as Chelsea boss in the next 24 hours.

A winner of a Bundesliga title with Bayer Leverkusen in 2024, the Spaniard has proven he can handle high-pressure environments and deliver trophies, something a club of Chelsea's size requires.

Alonso has been Chelsea's primary target since Liam Rosenior was sacked in April, and supporters will be thankful that BlueCo persuaded the 44-year-old to join, despite the possibility of no European football in 2026/27.

Xabi Alonso would have been impressed with Levi Colwill

Having visited London early last week, Alonso would have surely tuned in to the FA Cup final to get an early look at his new team.

Admittedly, there weren't many impressive performers on the pitch, but Levi Colwill was arguably a standout, continuing his great form since returning from an ACL injury.

The 23-year-old played several line-breaking passes to get his team on the attack and was an assured presence defensively against some world-class players, leading by example alongside Jorrel Hato and Wesley Fofana.

Colwill had a 90% (73/81) passing accuracy against Man City, while completing 19 carries and winning 100% of his ground duels, as per Sofascore.

Alonso would have been impressed with the Englishman's qualities, and when he assembles his team in a 3-4-3 system, Colwill has surely earned a place in the heart of his defence.

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