Thomas Tuchel’s winning machine has ground to a halt at the worst possible time.
Chelsea have now suffered back-to-back defeats for the first time during the German’s short tenure and the effects could be catastrophic.
After a self-inflicted 1-0 loss at home to Arsenal on Wednesday night, which cast doubt on their hopes of finishing in the Premier League top four, the Blues were beaten by the same scoreline in Saturday’s FA Cup final with Leicester.
Youri Tielemans decided a dramatic encounter with a stunning strike from distance that will enter into Foxes’ folklore, as they lifted the trophy for the first time in the club’s history.
Chelsea had dominated possession yet couldn’t create any clear-cut openings until a frantic finale.
Indeed, Leicester, roared on by a raucous atmosphere generated by those few fans lucky enough to gain entry into the stadium, grew into the game and were good value for their goal, which arrived in the 63rd minute.
With his team looking mortal again, Tuchel had no choice to abandon his principles and go for broke in the closing stages.
Reaching deep into his squad, he made five substitutions, with Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic, Olivier Giroud, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ben Chilwell all coming on.
(Goal.com)