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Chelsea break Crystal Palace hearts to secure FA Cup final clash with Liverpool
As Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s rising shot flicked off Joachim Andersen’s thigh and flew beyond Jack Butland’s dive to give Thomas Tuchel’s team control of this sleepy FA Cup semi-final, it was impossible not to hope that whoever ends up buying Chelsea from Roman Abramovich appreciates the importance of the club’s academy and continues to invest in it.
Ultimately this was a reminder that buying expensive foreign players is not the only way to build a successful team. For Chelsea this was another triumph that was made in Cobham. They knew victory was theirs when their academy’s star pupil, Mason Mount, produced his usual brilliance to finish Palace off and, in terms of Cup romance, there was nothing to top the moment when a tight game was prised open by Loftus-Cheek. The midfielder has struggled since recovering from a serious achilles injury and had come into this game under pressure from Tuchel to put his obvious gifts to use on a regular basis.
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