César Azpilicueta Willing to come forward a few times, but spread his lines with an ambitious volley from Timo Werner’s cross early. 6 Andreas Christensen helped prevent a Palace counterattack by eliminating danger and a calm presence in the back. 7 Antonio Rudiger Kompoz with the ball and his long pass created half an opportunity for Kay Haverts. He almost scores slowly, but the hard effort is blocked. 6 Reese James showed his usual composure on the ball and always willing to launch attacks on the right. Effortless control of possession and also kept Wilfried Zaha relatively quiet. Man of the fight. 8 Jorginho played in midfield and at a good pace in the first half. Pick up a ball with no hope out of play to sum up the sluggish show. 6 Mateo Kovacic failed to find his range with a cross that was too strong and looked disappointed before being sent off early due to injury. 6 Marcos Alonso Was not very effective as an attacking midfielder on the left, but he developed into a game as Chelsea dominated the possession. 6 Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel applauds his team’s fans after his team qualifies for the FA Cup final. Photo: Tom Jenkins / The Guardian Timo Werner failed to produce the fireworks of the last two races but troubled Palace with his relentless running and tireless work. He did well to play at Mason Mount for Chelsea’s second goal and almost created a third. 7 Mason Mount created a disappointing early cross that was very close to Jack Butland and was quiet early. He improved after the break and sealed Chelsea’s victory with the weave for a smart low finish. 6 Kai Havertz was busy attacking but had a hard time controlling the game. He was justifiably punished for diving in an attempt to win a penalty in the first half. 6 Alternates Ruben Loftus-Cheek (for Kovacic, 26) 7; N’Golo Kanté (for Jorginho, 78) 7; Hakim Ziyech (για όρος, 77) 6; Romelu Lukaku (for Havertz, 77) 6; Thiago Silva (for Christensen, 82) 6. The Fiver: sign up and receive our daily football email.
Crystal Palace (4-3-3)
Jack Butland Indifferent in the first half and quickly went out of line to overthrow Werner after the break. He is not to blame for either of the two goals. 6 Joel Ward defended steadily for most of the game and played a dangerous long ball that almost created an opening in the first half for Palace. 6 Joachim Andersen did attempt a finish, but from an awkward position, sending the ball into the away fans. He executed the crossbar, although his effort was offside and he had to do better than slow heads. 6 Marc Guéhi The former Chelsea defender made an impressive record with a strong appearance in the backcourt. Strong in the air. 7 Tyrick Mitchell Neat and tidy on the ball and occasionally combined with the bottom left with Zaha. He was penalized for losing the ball to Chelsea’s success. 6 Jeffrey Schlupp Tireless worker and willing to put a hard graft to disappoint Chelsea. But he had to do better when he placed an offensive pass incorrectly. 6 Joachim Andersen of Crystal Palace misses with a header in the delayed header against Chelsea. Photo: Tom Jenkins / The Guardian Cheikhou Kouyaté showed his promise in the midfield early on as he extinguished Chelsea’s attacks. He almost opened the scoring with his volley and made the head from a great position in the second half. 7 James McArthur did well to cut off the crossbar from Werner and was prepared to take the throw-in. I found it difficult in the second half with Palace in defense. 6 Eberechi Eze Lively tripped by an opponent when he was given a chance to attack. It went out as the match progressed with his teammates. 6 Jean-Philippe Mateta missed an early opportunity after failing to take advantage of Zaha’s impressive pass and did not make many changes to Chelsea’s defense. 6 Wilfried Zaha created a tease early on, which should have been exploited by Mateta. It seemed the biggest threat of the Palace in the counter, but subdued towards the end. 6 Alternates Jordan Ayew (for Mateta, 55) 5; Christian Benteke (for Schlupp, 72) 6; Michael Olise (for McArthur, 72) 6; Luka Milivojevic (for Kuyate, 84) 6.
