Chelsea Analysis - What Thiago Silva did to Sadio Mane as Blues claim unwanted Man United record

 

It was another case of nearly but not quite for Chelsea at Wembley as Thomas Tuchel's side pushed Liverpool all the way to sudden death for the second time this season as the Reds claimed their second domestic trophy of the year.

The Blues have been runners-up in both competitions and can only hope to secure Champions League football in their remaining two Premier League matches against Leicester and Watford, with the pace of Manchester City and Liverpool leaving them as also rans.

Those outcomes have left it difficult to assess what to make out of the Blues' 2021/22. The devastation was clear to see on the Wembley turf with Mason Mount obviously crestfallen staring at the floor, Antonio Rudiger sat on the pitch and Romelu Lukaku with folded arms staring at the sky, all while red flares started to fill the air in Liverpool side of the stadium.

"It heavily depends on what we do in the next two games and where we end up." said Tuchel when asked how he could assess Chelsea's season. A difficult task in the immediate aftermath of brutal defeat. However football.london takes a look at just a few of the takeaways from the 120 minutes of football below:

Thiago Silva problem

The Brazilian was the oldest outfield player to feature in a FA Cup final since Stanley Matthews on Saturday afternoon and despite coming to the end of his 20th season as a professional footballer, Silva proved his importance and class to Chelsea once again.

The 37-year-old once again showed unparalled composure throughout the match, punctuated by his pirouette with the ball to beat Sadio Mane's pressure, and even some speed to rein in the lightning Luis Diaz in the 90th minute. Silva showed how wise it was for the Blues to extend his contract from another season back in January.

In one instance however, the former PSG star's final looked like it could be cut short. A lengthy stoppage ensued when Trevoh Chalobah caught Silva 's knee on his follow-through following a vital clearance.

Anyone of a Chelsea persuasion likely had their heart in their mouth and a bead of sweat on their brow with no natural replacement available - Cesar Azpilicueta and Malang Sarr being the only defensive candidates on the bench. Tuchel acknowledged the situation in his post- match press conference:

"Yeah, of course, no options today. I was clear in some moments we would suffer and unfortunately, we suffered in the first 15 minutes."

Andreas Christensen, the other played to have been deployed in the heart of the back three this season, was absent from Tuchel's squad, and is set to leave Stamford Bridge this summer.

 The feeling while Silva received treatment should be used as as lesson for the Blues to ensure they move in the summer to provide their veteran with more support.

Jules Kounde has been linked to the club since last summer, and the importance of replacing Antonio Rudiger has been discussed but the Blues most mould their Silva successor from the beginning of next season, so as not to burn the Brazilian out.