2021 FA Cup Final Score: Chelsea 0-1 Leicester City
Date: Saturday 15th May 2021
Venue: Wembley Stadium
Attendance: 20,000 (affected due to COVID restrictions)
Referee: Michael Oliver
Teams:
Chelsea
Kepa Arrizabalaga, César Azpilicueta (c), Thiago Silva, Antonio Rüdiger, Reece James, N’Golo Kanté, Jorginho, Marcos Alonso, Hakim Ziyech, Mason Mount, Timo Werner
Manager: Thomas Tuchel
Goal Scorer/s: none
Leicester City
Kasper Schmeichel (c), Wesley Fofana, Jonny Evans, Çağlar Söyüncü, Timothy Castagne, Youri Tielemans, Wilfred Ndidi, Luke Thomas, Ayoze Pérez, Kelechi Iheanacho, Jamie Vardy
Manager: Brendan Rodgers
Goal Scorer/s: Youri Tielemans 63′
The 140th FA Cup Final
The 2021 FA Cup Final was the 140th final of the competition.
Wembley Stadium hosted the match contested between Chelsea and Leicester City on Saturday 15th May 2021.
During the 2020/21 season Chelsea won 19 games in total, drawing ten times and losing on nine occasions to finish 4th in the Premier League. Leicester City ended up finishing 5th in the Premier League having registered 20 wins, six draws and 12 losses.
Chelsea’s run to the final saw them beat Morecambe in the third round, Luton Town in round four and Barnsley in the fifth round. They defeated Sheffield United in round six and then beat Manchester City in the semi-finals.
Leicester City reached the final having defeated Stoke City in round three, Brentford in the fourth round and Brighton and Hove Albion in round five. They beat Manchester United in the sixth round and were victorious against Southampton in the semis.
Match Report
Chelsea began the match as the dominant side with Antonio Rüdiger’s 15th minute shot from 30 yards sailing wide of Leicester City’s goal.
Five minutes later, centre back Thiago Silva was ruled to have handled the ball just outside of the box after Leicester City’s Iheanacho attempted to dart past him. Tielemans placed the ball and curled a free kick into the area but it was harmlessly headed over the Chelsea crossbar by Foxes defender Çağlar Söyüncü from around six yards.
Johnny Evans became the game’s first substitution after picking up an injury in the 34th minute and was replaced by wide player Marc Albrighton.
Into the second half and after Leicester City had dominated the first ten minutes, Chelsea’s N’Golo Kanté found space and floated in a cross yet Foxes goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel easily caught Alonso’s weak header.
In the 63rd minute, Luke Thomas slotted the ball into midfield to Tielemans who struck from distance, the ball flying into the top-left corner of Chelsea’s goal to give Leicester City a 1–0 lead. Despite claims from Chelsea that there had been a handball during the build-up – the goal still stood.
Then with 19 minutes remaining, Mount went down following a tackle by Söyüncü yet Chelsea’s claims for a penalty were waved away by the referee.
In the 83rd minute, Rudiger shot high over Leicester City’s crossbar before Mount tried his luck in the very next attack, the midfielder’s attempt pushed out for a corner by Schmeichel.
In the final sixty seconds of normal time, Silva passed to Chilwell who took a shot but Söyüncü raced back to clear the ball off the line. But the Foxes’ defender’s clearance deflected back off Chilwell and went into the Leicester City net.
However, the goal was immediately referred to the VAR, who deemed Chilwell offside in the build-up and ultimately the goal was disallowed. An additional five minutes of stoppage time were played but Leicester City were resolute and Chelsea could not find an equaliser. The match ended 1–0 to Leicester City who won the FA Cup for the first time in their history!
Facts
- This was Chelsea’s fifteenth FA Cup Final appearance and their fourth in the last five seasons. However, they won only one of those four, beating Manchester United 1–0 in 2018.
- Leicester City had never beaten Chelsea in their seven previous FA Cup ties.
- This was the first FA Cup Final since 2013 held before the Premier League season finished.
- Leicester went into the final as the only prior league champions of England not to have won the FA Cup.
- This was also the first cup final Leicester had participated in since the 2000 Football League Cup Final.
- Assistant VAR Sian Massey-Ellis became the first female referee involved in an FA Cup final.
2021 FA Cup Results
Semi Final
Leicester 1-0 Southampton, Chelsea 1-0 Manchester City
Sixth Round
Bournemouth 0-3 Southampton, Everton 0-2 Manchester City, Chelsea 2-0 Sheffield United, Leicester City vs Manchester United
Fifth Round
Burnley 0-2 Bournemouth, Manchester United 1-0 West Ham (AET), Swansea City 1-3 Manchester City, Leicester City 1-0 Brighton, Sheffield United 1-0 Bristol City, Everton 5-4 Tottenham (AET), Wolves 0-2 Southampton, Barnsley 0-1 Chelsea
Fourth Round
Chorley 0-1 Wolves, Southampton 1-0 Arsenal, Brighton 2-1 Blackpool, Swansea City 5-1, Nottingham Forest, Millwall 0-3 Bristol City, West Ham 4-0 Doncaster Rovers, Barnsley 1-0 Norwich City, Sheffield United 2-1 Plymouth Argyle, Cheltenham Town 1-3 Manchester City, Chelsea 3-1 Luton Town, Brentford 1-3 Leicester City, Fulham 0-3 Burnley
Manchester United 3-2 Liverpool, Everton 3-0 Sheffield Wednesday, Wycombe Wanderers 1-4 Tottenham, Bournemouth 2-1 Crawley Town
Third Round
Aston Villa 1-4 Liverpool, Wolves 1-0 Crystal Palace, Everton 2-1 Rotherham United, Nottingham Forest 1-0 Cardiff City, Boreham Wood 0-2 Millwall, Luton Town 1-0 Reading, Norwich City 2-0 Coventry City, Chorley 2-0 Derby County, Oldham Athletic 1-4 Bournemouth, Stevenage 0-2 Swansea City, Bristol Rovers 2-3 Sheffield United, Blackburn Rovers 0-1 Doncaster Rovers, Stoke City 0-4 Leicester City, Wycombe Wanderers 4-1 Preston North End, Burnley 1-1 MK Dons (AET Burnley won 4-3 on penalties), QPR 0-2 Fulham, Exeter City 0-2 Sheffield Wednesday, Blackpool 2-2 West Brom (AET – Blackpool won 3-2 on penalties), Arsenal 2-0 Newcastle, Huddersfield Town 2-3 Plymouth Argyle, Brentford 2-1 Middlesbrough, Manchester United 1-0 Watford, Barnsley 2-0 Tranmere Rovers, Crawley Town 3-0 Leeds United, Bristol City 2-1 Portsmouth, Manchester City 3-0 Birmingham City, Chelsea 4-0 Morecambe, Cheltenham Town 2-1 Mansfield Town (AET), Marine 0-5 Tottenham, Newport County 1-1 Brighton (AET – Brighton won 4-3 on penalties), Stockport County 0-1 West Ham, Southampton 2-0 Shrewsbury Town
