Chelsea manager Antonio Conte on Monday got the upper hand on Jose Mourinho for the second time this season as his double-chasing side beat 10-man Manchester United 1-0 at Stamford Bridge to reach the FA Cup semi-finals.
N’Golo Kante’s precise 51st-minute strike was enough for Conte’s team to break United’s hold on the Cup after the visitors had Ander Herrera sent off after 35 minutes for a second yellow card — both for fouls on Eden Hazard.
Premier League leaders’ Chelsea’s reward is a Wembley clash with Tottenham Hotspur next month, while the other semi-final is to be between Arsenal and Manchester City.
Photo: Reuters
United, who face a Europa League last-16 tie tomorrow against Russian side Rostov, were missing suspended Zlatan Ibrahimovic and injured Wayne Rooney and offered little threat once Kante had beaten David de Gea with a precise low shot.
Mourinho was spared the humiliation of the 4-0 thrashing his old club dished out in their league meeting in October last year — his first return to Stamford Bridge since being fired last season — but his United side were again found wanting.
Mourinho’s frustration boiled over at times and the Portuguese and Italian Conte had to be separated after an angry exchange shortly after Herrera’s sending off.
“The game was completely under control [before the red card],” Mourinho, whose players targeted Hazard for especially close attention, told reporters. “They couldn’t find what is their game. I cannot be more proud of the players.”
Chelsea, chasing the Premier League/FA Cup double they last achieved in 2010, dominated possession and could have scored more goals, although holders United had their moments.
Much was made of United’s lack of striking options ahead of the game, but Mourinho’s somewhat depleted side started in confident fashion and Henrikh Mkhitaryan fired just wide in the 13th minute following a strong run by Rashford.
However, that escape sparked Chelsea into life, particularly Hazard, who was soon skipping his way past defenders to force De Gea into a great save from his deflected shot.
United’s goalkeeper then did equally well to claw out Nemanja Matic’s low shot from the resulting corner.
Herrera then took matters into his own hands with two ill-judged tackles on Hazard, both of which were punished with yellow cards by referee Michael Oliver.
Mourinho reacted to the dismissal by hauling off Mkhitaryan and sending on the combative Marouane Fellaini. It was a tactic designed to frustrate Chelsea, but the irrepressible Kante opened them up six minutes after the break, delivering a right-foot shot of unerring accuracy past De Gea.
Diego Costa should have made it 2-0, while United should have leveled when galloping Rashford left David Luiz and Gary Cahill trailing, but shot straight at Thibaut Courtois.
Chelsea were relatively untroubled, as they set up a juicy-looking semi-final against London rivals Spurs — the last team to beat them in any competition.
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