European champions Chelsea have been given a London Derby challenge in the FA Cup semifinals after the draw was held on Sunday evening. The Blues were handed a tie against London rivals Crystal Palace during the draw with the Premier League’s top two namely Manchester City and Liverpool facing off in the other tie. Both ties will take place at the Wembley Stadium next month.
Chelsea sealed their place in the final four of the FA Cup this season after seeing off English Championship outfit Middlesbrough who have been responsible for the exit of some big teams from the competition. They were responsible for the exit of Tottenham Hotspur in the fifth round and Manchester United in the fourth round.
Thomas Tuchel and his Chelsea players booked their place in the FA Cup semifinals by beating hosts Middlesbrough 2-0 with the two goals coming in the first half. Belgian international star Romelu Lukaku was given a rare Chelsea start in recent times against Boro and he responded with the second goal to double the advantage given to the team by the opening goal from Moroccan attacker Hakim Ziyech.
Semifinal opponents Crystal Palace delivered the most emphatic victory of the quarterfinals after thrashing Everton 4-0 at home. The Eagles have been a much improved team in their first season under Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira in comparison to recent seasons under Roy Hodgson. Also, they are playing an attacking brand of football under Frenchman Vieira who was made Eagles manager last summer.New Three Lions of England invitee Marc Guehi, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Wilfried Zaha and substitute Will Hughes were all on the scoresheet for the Eagles who are bidding to qualify for their first FA Cup final appearance since 2016. On that occasion, the Eagles were beaten 2-1 by Manchester United at the end of extra time.