Chelsea FC 2-0 Crystal Palace LIVE! Mount goal - FA Cup result, match stream and latest updates today

Chelsea vs Crystal Palace LIVE!

Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mason Mount booked Chelsea a place in their third consecutive FA Cup final on Easter Sunday.

Loftus-Cheek’s thunderbolt finish dragged the Blues out of a sluggish performance and into a 16th FA Cup final, with Mason Mount’s angled effort sealing the deal.

England midfielder Loftus-Cheek spent the 2017-18 season on loan with the Eagles, even forcing his way to the World Cup after his campaign at Selhurst Park.

But the 26-year-old showed no split loyalty in dumping his former side out of England’s premier cup competition.

Loftus-Cheek’s first Chelsea goal since the 1-1 Europa League draw with Eintracht Frankfurt on May 9, 2019 spurred the Blues on past their clear fatigue and into yet another final.

Chelsea relinquished their Champions League crown despite beating Real Madrid 3-2 at the Bernabeu Stadium on Tuesday night, only exiting the European stage 5-4 on aggregate and after extra time.

That fourth period of extra time in a punishing season took its clear toll as Chelsea struggled to hit their usual straps against Patrick Vieira’s well-organised and talented Eagles.

Just when Vieira’s men started to threaten an upset, however, up popped Loftus-Cheek with a powerful drive.

Chelsea nerves finally settled, Mount quickly latched onto Timo Werner’s inside ball and slotted home to kill the contest.

Loftus-Cheek excelled in a hybrid role mixing right wing-back and midfield in Chelsea’s 6-0 thrashing of Southampton and that vainglorious win in Madrid.

But at Wembley the Chelsea academy graduate was forced into action in defensive midfield, after Mateo Kovacic sustained an ankle problem in the early exchanges.

And this opportunist finish showcased another side of his talents, for a man who suffered a nasty torn Achilles in a friendly match at New England Revolution in Boston on May 16, 2019.

Loftus-Cheek has only just this season started to hit his full straps again after an operation to repair that Achilles, and subsequent back concerns.

His match-turning strike here therefore certainly deserves to be seen as a major turning point in his Stamford Bridge career.

Chelsea’s midweek exploits carried a clear toll on the sluggish Blues, who could not drive the tempo or the rhythm in a staccato first half.

Thomas Tuchel’s men simply did not move the ball quickly or crisply enough, allowing Palace to shut them out through regimented defending and relatively high pressing.

Losing the influential Kovacic did not help matters, with the Croatia star unable to run off an early blow.

The Eagles even had the best chance of the half, when Cheikhou Kouyate’s volleyed drive forced Edouard Mendy into a fine save.

Joachim Andersen struck a post with the rebound but was clearly offside in any case.

Kai Havertz was booked for a blatant dive in Chelsea’s low point of the half, the Germany forward taking a tumble in expecting a challenge from Marc Guehi that never came.

Werner should have opened the second half with at least a shot on target but was muscled out by Kouyate when sent in on goal by Loftus-Cheek’s flicked pass.

Chelsea could not build on that opening however, and Kouyate nodded a corner the wrong side of the post after Wilfried Zaha had turned Andreas Christensen inside out.

The Blues had to pull something from nowhere, and Loftus-Cheek’s thunderous strike certainly appeared from precious little.

Tyrick Mitchell was robbed deep in his own half and Chelsea refused to waste that gift of possession.

Havertz’s deflected cross fell kindly for Loftus-Cheek, and he lashed home.

His exuberant celebrations in punching the air and launching himself off the ground exhibited as much relief as elation.

Mount quickly doubled Chelsea’s lead with a fine angled finish into the corner of the net to kill the tie and cement the Blues’ path to yet another FA Cup final.

Substitute striker Romelu Lukaku struck a post from point-blank range after Werner’s pass, but by that point the miss did not matter.

Additional reporting from PA

Chelsea vs Crystal Palace latest news

• GOAL! Mason Mount scores Chelsea’s second

• GOAL! Loftus-Cheek puts Chelsea ahead!

• Kick-off: 4:30pm BST

• How to watch: ITV

• Prediction: Chelsea 1-0 Crystal Palace

• Confirmed Chelsea lineup

• Confirmed Crystal Palace lineup

Chelsea FC 2 - 0 Crystal Palace FC

Chelsea player ratings

18:40 , Jonathan Gorrie

Here’s how James Robson rated the Chelsea players following their FA Cup semi-final win over Crystal Palace.

FT: Chelsea 2-0 Crystal Palace

18:25 , Jonathan Gorrie

CHANCE FOR CHELSEA

18:20 , Jonathan Gorrie

90:00 - Lukaku hits the post from close range after more brillaint work from Werner.

Another Chelsea change

18:13 , Jonathan Gorrie

Chelsea changes

18:09 , Jonathan Gorrie

James Robson from Wembley

18:09 , Jonathan Gorrie

You have to feel a bit for Palace here. They have looked the likelier to score, but the game is effectively over after a couple of quick goals from Chelsea.The first had a touch of fortune - the second was quality, with the help of some slack Palace defending.A second Chelsea-Liverpool final of the season awaits.

CHANCE FOR PALACE

18:08 , Jonathan Gorrie

77:00 - Andersen misses a sitter with his head after a flick-on from Ayew!

What a chance.

GOAL! Chelsea 2-0 Crystal Palace | Mason Mount ‘75

18:06 , Jonathan Gorrie

75:00 - Mount’s third goal in three games.

Werner and Mount combine just outside the Palace box, allowing the England man to open his body up and slot home!

Confirmation of Palace’s double change

18:04 , Jonathan Gorrie

Good response from Palace

18:04 , Jonathan Gorrie

73:00 - Olise, Eze and Zaha all combining just outside the Chelsea penalty box, causing Tuchel’s side to clear their lines.

James Robson from Wembley

18:02 , Jonathan Gorrie

Chelsea tails are up

17:59 , Jonathan Gorrie

68:00 - Werner is causing all sorts of problems, stretching the Palace backline every time Chelsea have the ball.

GOAL! Chelsea 1-0 Crystal Palace | Ruben Loftus-Cheek ‘64

17:55 , Jonathan Gorrie

64:00 - Mitchell caught in possession, allowing Jorginho to find Havertz, whose cross into Werner is blocked and falls to Loftus-Cheek just inside the box, before he hits a volley past Butland!

Attendance watch

17:54 , Jonathan Gorrie

76,238 inside Wembley today.

James Robson from Wembley

17:53 , Jonathan Gorrie

One goal might be enough to win this. Palace still look the livelier in attack. Chelsea are so short of ideas.The concern was that they would struggle to lift themselves for the occasion and it is turning out like that. They just look a bit one-paced.

Chelsea working the lines

17:53 , Jonathan Gorrie

62:00 - Havertz and Mount finding a lot more space between the lines now.

CHANCE FOR PALACE

17:50 , Jonathan Gorrie

60:00 - From the resulting corner, Kouyate wins a free header but it trickles just wide with Mendy stranded.

Best Palace moment of the half

17:50 , Jonathan Gorrie

59:00 - Zaha twists and turns and his cross is put out for a corner by Azpilicueta.

A game short on quality

17:47 , Jonathan Gorrie

56:00 - Almost an hour in and both sides still adopting a pretty cagey approach. Not much attacking quality on display so far.

Palace change

17:46 , Jonathan Gorrie

Palace looking to attack Chelsea’s highline

17:43 , Jonathan Gorrie

53:00 - Every set-piece so far has gone deep, though Mendy does well to claim the ball after a spot of head tennis inside the box.

Rudiger shot

17:42 , Jonathan Gorrie

51:00 - As is often the case in a Chelsea game, Rudiger shoots from 35-yards out. Sails wide.

CHANCE FOR CHELSEA

17:41 , Jonathan Gorrie

50:00 - Much better from Tuchel’s side. Loftus-Cheek’s through ball finds Werner racing behind the Palace backline, though Kouyate does just enough to stop him from shooting from close range.

Palace penned back

17:40 , Jonathan Gorrie

50:00 - Five minutes into the second-half and we’re just about seeing Palace cross the halfway line.

Half chance for Chelsea

17:39 , Jonathan Gorrie

48:00 - Mount works some space to shoot but blazez over from just outside of the box.

Confident Chelsea start

17:37 , Jonathan Gorrie

46:00 - Early days of course but Tuchel’s side stringing the ball about with a lot more urgency at the moment.

Back underway!

17:36 , Jonathan Gorrie

Major improvement needed from Chelsea.

O’Hara not happy with Havertz

17:32 , Jonathan Gorrie

The first-half in numbers

17:28 , Jonathan Gorrie

A big performance from the former Chelsea man

17:28 , Jonathan Gorrie

HT: Chelsea 0-0 Crystal Palace

17:19 , Jonathan Gorrie

Not quite as thrilling as Saturday’s semi-final but Palace will be the happier of the two sides.

Mendy’s clever save from Kouyate’s volley the moment of the half so far.

Into added time

17:17 , Jonathan Gorrie

45:00 - Two minutes added on with Palace surely the happier of the two teams as things stand.

Loftus-Cheek yet to impress

17:14 , Jonathan Gorrie

42:00 - Granted, he’s been thrown in at late notice but Loftus-Cheek has been far too wasteful on the ball.

James Robson from Wembley

17:12 , Jonathan Gorrie

Havertz booked for diving

17:10 , Jonathan Gorrie

37:00 - Game opening up now! Guehi steps out to meet Havertz just as he breaks into the box, with the German going to ground.

Havertz is then booked for diving.

CHANCE FOR CRYSTAL PALACE

17:08 , Jonathan Gorrie

35:00 - Brilliant cross from Olise is just about cleared, though the ball lands at Kouyate, whose volley is well saved by Mendy.

Andersen then can’t follow up from close range after another stunning save, although he would have been offisde.

Best chance so far!

James Robson from Wembley

17:07 , Jonathan Gorrie

Christensen has been outstanding so far today. He’s made at least three crucial interceptions to cut out Palace breaks.

Palace almost at their best

17:06 , Jonathan Gorrie

34:00 - Schlupp wins possession in the middle of the park and is so close to putting Zaha in behind the Chelsea defence but Rudiger clears.

Really good from James

17:04 , Jonathan Gorrie

32:00 - When he gets the ball, Chelsea look dangerous.

The England star’s teasing cross is cleared just before Havertz can connect and, when Palace look to break, James stops Zaha in his tracks.

Impressive stuff.

Strange decision

17:03 , Jonathan Gorrie

29:00 - Strange decision from Azpilicueta to attempt a scissor kick at the back post when a more simple touch might have played Werner in...

Game opening up

17:01 , Jonathan Gorrie

29:00 - Couple of corners for Chelsea have Palace clearing their lines before they break, with Ward failing to find Zaha in good space.

James Robson from Wembley

16:57 , Jonathan Gorrie

Kovacic hasn’t looked comfortable from early on in the game when he went down on the edge of the box, despite no contact being made. Looks like he’s hurt his ankle. That’s an issue, not only for today, but for the midweek game against Arsenal.

Early injury blow for Chelsea

16:57 , Jonathan Gorrie

First effort on target

16:56 , Jonathan Gorrie

24:00 - Havertz gets a head on Rudiger’s long ball but cannot generate enough power to beat Butland.

Not much attacking invention so far

16:52 , Jonathan Gorrie

20:00 - Twenty minutes in and we’re yet to have a shot from either side.

James Robson from Wembley

16:49 , Jonathan Gorrie

It feels like a pattern has been set. Chelsea are enjoying plenty of possession, but they are not finding too many gaps at present.Palace clearly think the chance of a break is on and are attacking quickly when they get the chance. The pace of James, Christensen and Rudiger could be crucial in that sense.

Good work from Mateta

16:47 , Jonathan Gorrie

15:00 - Ward’s ball looked like it had too much on it but Mateta races behind the Chelsea defence, though the angle does him no favours and a fairly weak cross is gathered by Mendy.

Wasted corner

16:46 , Jonathan Gorrie

14:00 - Usually a dangerous team from set-pieces, Alonso overhits the corner.

Werner causing problems

16:45 , Jonathan Gorrie

13:00 - The German has got in-behind a couple of times in these last few minutes, winning a corner after some clever movement.

Both sides happy to drop the tempo

16:44 , Jonathan Gorrie

11:00 - Not the most frantic start to the game, despite the atmosphere.

James Robson from Wembley

16:40 , Jonathan Gorrie

Palace will be pleased with how this game has started. They’ve managed to keep Chelsea at a distance for much of it so far. They are looking at ways to hit them on the break and both Mateta and Zaha have had balls to run onto in the early stages.

Palace happy to go long

16:40 , Jonathan Gorrie

07:00 - Despite Mateta having three defenders to deal with, Palace are more than happy to go long and try to force Chelsea back. So far, they’re dealing with it fairly well but Thomas Tuchel’s side are yet to get their attacking play going.

Chelsea yet to cross the halfway line

16:36 , Jonathan Gorrie

04:00 - In any meaningful way at least.

Very confident from Palace

16:35 , Jonathan Gorrie

03:00 - It is Palace dominating the ball in these early stages, winning second-balls and forcing Chelsea back.

Early intent from Palace

16:34 , Jonathan Gorrie

02:00 - Andersen looks for Ward with a searching ball after a great run and Chelsea clear.

Balloons causing problems

16:33 , Jonathan Gorrie

01:00 - Already, play has been stopped to clear yet more balloons. The atmosphere is electric.

KICK-OFF

16:32 , Jonathan Gorrie

Here we go!

Edging closer

16:31 , Jonathan Gorrie

Lots of balloons on the pitch, Jack Butland clearing.

A look inside Wembley

16:30 , Jonathan Gorrie

A former Eagles soaks it all up

16:25 , Jonathan Gorrie

James Robson at Wembley

16:25 , Jonathan Gorrie

Gallagher watch

16:21 , Jonathan Gorrie

Latest on the Chelsea takeover

16:18 , Jonathan Gorrie

The race to buy Chelsea from Roman Abramovich is now being contested between three rival bidders after final offers were submitted to US merchant bank Raine Group, who are in charge of the sale.

Earlier on Friday came the news that the consortium led by Chicago Cubs owners the Ricketts family and backed by American billionaires Ken Griffin and Dan Gilbert had withdrawn from the four-horse race to take over at Stamford Bridge.

“The Ricketts-Griffin-Gilbert group has decided, after careful consideration, not to submit a final bid for Chelsea FC,” an official statement read.

“In the process of finalising the proposal, it became increasingly clear that certain issues could not be addressed given the unusual dynamics around the sales process.

“We have great admiration for Chelsea and its fans and we wish the new owners well.”

Where the FA Cup semi-final will be won and lost

16:08 , Jonathan Gorrie

Chelsea and Crystal Palace face off today with a place in the FA Cup final at stake.

Both teams come into the game with recent setbacks on otherwise encouraging runs of form, as well as relatively recent experience of appearing at Wembley.

Real Madrid knocked Chelsea out of the Champions League in midweek, making this their final chance of a third trophy this season after the European Super Cup and Club World Cup.

Up against last year’s losing finalists are Patrick Vieira’s, who reached the FA Cup final in 2016 and have enjoyed a solid first year under the French manager and his squad brimmed with youthful talent.

You can read Jack Rosser’s full tactical breakdown here.

A big call from Thomas Tuchel

16:04 , Jonathan Gorrie

Inside the rapid-fire Crystal Palace rebuild

15:59 , Jonathan Gorrie

When Crystal Palace walk out at Wembley on Sunday, those wearing red and blue ties in the directors’ box can take huge satisfaction in a job well done.

Their FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea is two years in the making and reward for the preparation, and then execution, of their plan to transform the south London club.

Palace have a new identify under Patrick Vieira and increased hope for the future. They are confident of adding to a bad week for Chelsea — but it has been a long road to this point.

In 2020, during the first lockdown, Palace chairman Steve Parish and sporting director Dougie Freedman used the football shutdown to re-evaluate and look ahead. Between them, they decided that it was time for the club to kick on.

Roy Hodgson had brought some much-needed stability after Palace had reverted to a short-term policy after ditching the Frank de Boer experiment, but fans had grown weary of his pragmatic style, Palace had an ageing squad and a change was needed to take them to the next level.

Parish had long wanted to push ahead, but the time they had to plan at the start of the pandemic accelerated the first phase of the revamp.

A decision was made to stop new contracts for older players, with their high wage bill restricting their ability to make moves in the transfer market.

You can read Jack Rosser’s full report here.

Kai Havertz celebrity spotting

15:51 , Jonathan Gorrie

Familiar surroundings for the Chelsea players...

15:45 , Jonathan Gorrie

Confirmed Crystal Palace lineup

15:30 , Jonathan Gorrie

Confirmed Chelsea lineup

15:30 , Jonathan Gorrie

A Palace legend on Wembley way

15:28 , Jonathan Gorrie

A very interested spectator...

15:21 , Jonathan Gorrie

Already a good day on the FA Cup front for Chelsea

15:20 , Jonathan Gorrie

A message to the players...

15:13 , Jonathan Gorrie

Thomas Tuchel’s apology to Conor Gallagher

15:08 , Jonathan Gorrie

Thomas Tuchel has apologised to Conor Gallagher after Chelsea rejected a request from Crystal Palace to allow the midfielder to play at Wembley on Sunday.

Gallagher is ineligible to face his parent club in their FA Cup semi-final due to an agreement in his loan deal at Palace.

Palace had asked Chelsea to grant special dispensation for Gallagher to play but Chelsea have blocked the England international from lining up against them

Eagles manager Patrick Vieira has criticised that decision.

Tuchel has revealed he has spoken to Gallagher about the decision and said he can understand his frustration.

You can read Tuchel’s full comments here.

Jack Butland’s warning for Chelsea

14:59 , Jonathan Gorrie

Jack Butland has backed Wilfried Zaha to put on a show at Wembley and warned Chelsea that Crystal Palace are a force to be reckoned with under Patrick Vieira.

The Eagles face Thomas Tuchel’s European champions in the FA Cup semi-final on Sunday.

Vieira has transformed Palace into a side capable of taking on the best and they have beaten Manchester City, Tottenham and Arsenal this season.

Zaha has already scored more goals this season (12) than he has managed in any campaign in his second spell at Palace and Butland says the Ivory Coast international will be ready for the big occasion this weekend.

You can read Butland’s full comments here.

Inside the Palace dressing room...

14:52 , Matt Verri

Prediction

14:42 , Matt Verri

Chelsea will have exerted a lot of energy during their epic but ultimately unsuccessful comeback bid in Madrid, so Palace will sense a real chance to reach May’s final.

Tuchel must keep things fresh in a bid to ward off exhaustion against a Palace side full of trickery and pacey attacking flair, spearheaded by Wilfried Zaha but without the industry and guile of Gallagher.

We are anticipating a cagey, tense affair at Wembley that may even require extra time. But in the end, Chelsea should have enough to come out on top.

Chelsea to win, 1-0.

Crystal Palace team news

14:31 , Matt Verri

Palace are still waiting on the fitness of Tyrick Mitchell (calf) and Michael Olise (foot), with both players able to take part in some individual training ahead of Sunday’s game. But Vieira has warned that he won’t risk either key player if they are not 100 per cent fit and ready to feature.

The unlucky Nathan Ferguson is definitely out, while Will Hughes has also been carrying a knock. Chelsea loanee Conor Gallagher is ineligible to face his parent club after a request from Palace allowing him to play was denied.

Predicted XI: Guaita; Clyne, Andersen, Guehi, Mitchell; Kouyate, Schlupp; Ayew, McArthur, Zaha; Mateta.

Chelsea team news

14:21 , Matt Verri

Romelu Lukaku should be fit for Chelsea after returning to training in the aftermath of an Achilles injury that saw him sidelined for the midweek trip to Madrid.

However, Callum Hudson-Odoi remains out with his own Achilles issue and Ben Chilwell (knee) is a long-term absentee. Ross Barkley has recovered from the bout of illness that saw him miss out at the Bernabeu, meanwhile.

Predicted XI: Mendy; Azpilicueta, Silva, Rudiger; James, Jorginho, Kante, Alonso; Mount, Werner; Havertz.

How to watch Chelsea vs Crystal Palace

14:13 , Matt Verri

TV channel: Today’s semi-final tie will be broadcast live on ITV, with coverage beginning at 3:45pm.

Live stream: Television license-fee payers can also catch the game live online via the ITV website or ITV Hub.

Live blog: You can also follow all the action right here, with James Robson at Wembley.

Good afternoon!

14:04 , Matt Verri

Hello and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Chelsea vs Crystal Palace at Wembley!

It’s the second FA Cup semi-final, as the two London clubs battle it out for the right to face Liverpool in the final next month.

We’ll have all the latest updates and team news ahead of kick-off, which comes at 4:30pm BST. Stay tuned!