[Footbal] Spirited Chelsea stop rot with FA Cup final blueprint

[Mr.HiTLeR]

Marc Cucurella praised Chelsea's fighting spirit as they ended their dreadful Premier League run and provided a tactical blueprint for next week's FA Cup final.

The struggling Blues faced the prospect of becoming the first team in English football history to lose seven consecutive league matches heading into a Wembley showpiece when they fell 1-0 behind at Liverpool.

It felt bleak when Ryan Gravenberch curled home a sixth-minute opener, but Chelsea hit back to level when Enzo Fernandez's free-kick drifted in.

With Manchester City up next in the FA Cup final on Saturday, left-back Cucurella said his side had to show the same drive and determination if they were to end a troubled season with silverware.

"I think the effort today was really good," he told TNT Sports. "I don't think it was probably our best moments, but we showed if we play together then we have a good level.

"We are happy that we showed we're a really good team if we put in the effort and fight together. Hopefully we can win a bit of confidence from this game because next week we have a massive game."

These have been depressing weeks for Chelsea.

They slipped disappointingly out of the race for a Champions League place, boss Liam Rosenior departed amid suggestions the players had stopped responding to his managerial approach, and were beaten 3-1 at home by relegation-battling Nottingham Forest in interim head coach Calum McFarlane's first game in charge.

Simply put, McFarlane needed to stop the bleeding and did so with a performance that had his side applauded off by the away support at Anfield.

It may also have revealed a potential approach to take into a season‑defining game against City, even if Pep Guardiola's side will start as favourites and pose a greater challenge than Liverpool.

'Leader' Colwill brings calm in defensive switch
Levi Colwill touchmap graphic
Image source,BBC Sport
Image caption,
Colwill completed 65 of his 73 passes on Saturday

McFarlane lined Chelsea up in a back three for the first time during his interim spell, and for only the fourth time overall this season.

Under Rosenior, they lost twice against Premier League opposition using the system and only narrowly overcame Wrexham in the FA Cup. There was little to suggest the shape - never used by Enzo Maresca during his 18‑month spell in charge - would prove effective.

However, the return of defender Levi Colwill for his first start in 10 months, since the Fifa Club World Cup final, brought composure in possession and greater stability when building from the back.

"I thought Levi was the best player on the pitch," said McFarlane. "He gives you the ability to play out from the back, he's a leader and that was his first 90 minutes in a long time."

The 23-year-old England centre-back returned alongside Wesley Fofana, who had previously been left out by McFarlane, in a partnership he enjoys.

Dutchman Jorrel Hato was also recalled after being one of the few Chelsea players to perform consistently during a difficult run.

The system also allowed Cucurella to push higher as an attacking wing‑back, exploiting makeshift Liverpool full-back Curtis Jones on that side.

Cole Palmer, who has struggled for form, was also brighter and went close to ending a goalless run in club football that now stretches to 10 games with an effort ruled out for a marginal offside against Cucurella.

It offered a constructive solution for a side without four senior wingers, and forced to include two academy players - 17‑year‑old attackers Mathis Eboue and Ryan Kavuma‑McQueen - on the bench.

Chelsea are hopeful Alejandro Garnacho and Pedro Neto will be back to face City, while captain Reece James also made his first appearance in almost a month as a substitute.

Last summer Chelsea could point to victories over the champions of Spain, Italy, England and France en route to Club World Cup success against Paris St‑Germain - evidence they can win one‑off games against elite opposition.

The Premier League picture, however, remains bleak for a side that were expected to at least qualify for the Champions League by their own hierarchy, with fifth place out of reach.

Chelsea remain without a clean sheet in 14 Premier League matches - their longest such run since a 15‑game streak between March and May 1979 - and have won just one of their last 11 top‑flight games.

After the dismal defeat by a second‑string Forest side, McFarlane struck a more positive tone, adding: "We got the reaction we wanted and hopefully we can build on that.

"It was a good point and a good performance. It was a game that could have gone either way. We had moments to win it, which was disappointing in that respect, but it was a much‑improved performance and I'm pleased."

With the 1-0 win over Leeds in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley, McFarlane has proved he can set up a side capable of performing under pressure - and that is something that may yet prove a stepping stone towards lifting the trophy.
 

This was the upturn in performance Chelsea badly needed.

After a six-match losing run in the league, this felt like a small step in the right direction.

Fan protests are planned on Wembley Way before next weekend's FA Cup final against Manchester City, but at least Chelsea will not go into that game on the back of another defeat.

If the losing cycle had continued at Anfield, it would have meant Chelsea suffering seven consecutive league defeats for only the second time in their history, and for the first time for 74 years.

They would also have become the first team in English football history to lose seven matches heading into an FA Cup final.

It was crucial, therefore, to stem the bleeding in a bleak spell that has already cost former head coach Liam Rosenior his job.

Monday's 3-1 defeat by a second-string Nottingham Forest side was a dismal way for interim head coach Calum McFarlane to mark his first league match in charge.

McFarlane can, however, point to a number of positives. He earned his first victory of this second spell in charge in the FA Cup semi-final against Leeds at Wembley and, now at Anfield - albeit against another side struggling for form - his selection decisions were largely vindicated.

The return of centre-back Levi Colwill, making his first appearance for 10 months, coincided with Chelsea switching to a back three for just the third time this season.

Chelsea conceded from Liverpool's first shot of the match and briefly lost their way, but they recovered to equalise deservedly.

It was not a vintage performance, but it was an improvement and something to build on. The decision to focus attacks down the left through Marc Cucurella paid dividends, Cole Palmer showed signs of rediscovering form within the system, and it helped Chelsea manage an attacking injury crisis, with four wingers currently out.

Chelsea remain just about in the hunt for European football, though there is plenty of work to do in their remaining two Premier League matches.

More importantly, they now have something to cling to before the cup final, even if Pep Guardiola's Manchester City side remain strong favourites.

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