Chelsea vs Crystal Palace player ratings: Werner 9, Mount 8; Guehi 8, Zaha 7

Chelsea book a spot in third successive FA Cup final after 2-0 win at Wembley

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  CHELSEA RATINGS: Edouard Mendy 6 – Got down well to save a low effort from international teammate Kouyate. That aside, the Chelsea stopper was seldom tested. AFP

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  Cesar Azpilicueta 7 – Played a vital role in Chelsea’s equaliser, dispossessing Mitchell in the final third. A solid performance from the captain, who also whipped in several teasing crosses. EPA

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  Andreas Christensen 6 – looked shaky at times, especially up against the ever-dangerous Zaha. Was almost faultless in possession, however. AFP

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  Antonio Rudiger 7 – While the German was often wasteful in possession, his positioning and defensive awareness was excellent overall. Led by example late on. AP

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  Recce James 6 – Performed well as the third centre-back for the Blues. He frequently strayed forward into the midfield, helping to inject some much needed urgency into Chelsea’s build-up play. AP

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  Jorginho 6 – Had a poor first half, slowing play down with ponderous spells of possession. The Italian was much improved in the second half, breaking the lines thanks to some piercing through balls. EPA

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  Mateo Kovacic N/A – Was replaced midway through the first half after picking up an injury. EPA

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  Marcos Alonso 7 – The wing-back was relatively quiet, although he did play a few dangerous crosses into the Palace box early on. Stuck to his defensive tasks very well in the final 20 minutes. AFP

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  Timo Werner 9 – A man of the match display from the German, who really should have ended the game with more than one assist to his name. Caused Palace all sorts of problems with intelligent runs and crosses. Reuters

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  Mason Mount 8 – Scorer of Chelsea’s second goal, slotting the ball home after a clever first touch. The England international has now scored in three successive matches for the first time. AFP

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  Kai Havertz 7 – Assisted Loftus-Cheek’s opener after some tidy work down the right-hand channel. Recovered well after a dreadful first 45 minutes, where he was booked for an embarrassing dive. AFP

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  SUBS: Ruben Loftus-Cheek 7 – Grabbed his first goal in over three years for the London club, driving the ball past Butland with the help of a slight deflection. After a sluggish opening hour, the strike will do his confidence the world of good. AP

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  Hakim Ziyech 6 – A creative spark late on, linking up well with Werner as gaps started to appear in the Palace defence. PA

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  Romelu Lukaku 5 – Missed an absolute sitter from six yards following fine work from Werner. The 28-year-old can’t seem to do anything right at the moment. AFP

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  N’Golo Kante 7 – Started a handful of Chelsea counters after winning the ball back high up the pitch. AFP

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  Thiago Silva N/A – Added calm at the back as Chelsea closed out the win. Reuters

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  CRYSTAL PALACE RATINGS: Jack Butland 6 – Got a fingertip to Mason Mount’s goal, although he would have done very well to keep the ball out. That aside, it was a mistake-free afternoon for the stand-in keeper. AFP

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  Joel Ward 5 – Struggled up against the pacy Timo Werner on the right side. He was also a little too wasteful in possession, failing to pick out teammates in good positions on the counter. EPA

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  Joachim Andersen 6 – Superb for the first hour, knocking the ball around with confidence, and suppressing Chelsea’s attacks. However, a positional error for the Blues’ second goal - and a missed header from close range at the other end cost his side dearly. Getty

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  Marc Guehi 8 – One of Palace’s best performers. The young defender remained composed throughout, intercepting a number of passes and through balls thanks to his excellent reading of the game. AP

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  Tyrick Mitchell 5 – Lost the ball a bit too easily in his own half at times. One such instance of this led to a goal, with Cesar Azpilicueta’s tackle on the Full-back eventually leading to Chelsea’s opener. EPA

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  James McArthur 5 – Came in for the cup-tied Conor Gallagher, although he did little to show that he is worthy of being a regular starter. Looked sluggish and seemed to tire late on. EPA

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  Cheikhou Kouyate 6 – Dropped into a centre-back position at times, shutting off passing lanes for the opposition very effectively. Conversely, his own passing was generally quite loose. PA

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  Jeffrey Schlupp 6 – Provided an excellent outlet for Palace on the break. The main issue was his end product, which, more often than not, left Wilfried Zaha very frustrated. Action Images

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  Eberechi Eze 7 – Showed flashes of what he can do. The 23-year-old, fresh back from a long-term injury lay-off, troubled Andreas Christensen once or twice with his fast feet and array of skills. AFP

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  Jean-Philippe Mateta 5 –Slightly anonymous today, with Zaha instead making the majority of Palace’s clever runs in behind. A game to forget for the former Mainz striker. Action Images

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  Wilfried Zaha 7 – Constantly stretched Chelsea’s backline with excellent runs and industrious closing down of their centre-backs. Frustratingly, he was generally let down by poor through balls from his teammates. AFP

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  SUBS: Jordan Ayew 5 – Came on for the struggling Mateta before the hour mark. Looked a little off his game with his best shooting opportunity hitting the side-netting. PA

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  Michael Olise 6 – Bright in the closing stages but couldn’t quite work an opportunity for himself or a teammate from the right-wing. Getty

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  Christian Benteke 6 – Didn’t quite get the aerial service he needed as Chelsea dominated late on. AFP

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  Luka Milivojevic N/A – Replaced Kouyate with five minutes left to play. PA

Ruben Loftus-Cheek capped his impressive comeback with a first Chelsea goal since May 2019 as the Blues defeated Crystal Palace 2-0 to reach their third successive FA Cup final.

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

England midfielder Loftus-Cheek spent the 2017/18 season on loan with the Eagles, even forcing his way to the World Cup after his impressive 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, and they will now face Liverpool for the trophy on May 14.

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