Thomas Tuchel looks at Chelsea’s 1-0 loss to Leicester City in the FA Cup Final and wonders if it all comes down to luck.
The Blues couldn’t finish their chances and conceded very few, but a pair of VAR decisions went against them en route to the runners-up finish.
Youri Tielemans scored an outstanding goal moments after Ayoze Perez caused a turnover by blocking a clearance with his leg that then took a big turn off his forearm.
[ MORE: Three things we learned from the FA Cup Final ]
And VAR caught Ben Chilwell apparently offside by centimeters in the moments before the Blues had a dramatic would-be stoppage-time equalizer.
He was asked about the first call, and said he couldn’t explain it.
“My assistant saw it on the screen on the bench and the players said it straight away that is was a handball,” Tuchel said, via Football.London. “For the second time. There was a handball against Arsenal and VAR didn’t intervene. Today Leicester score a goal but I’m not an expert in handball. I don’t know what it’s handball now or not. So I can’t comment and give my opinion and I don’t know why it’s okay.”
Chelsea had 64 percent of the ball, a 13-6 edge in shots, and three of the match’s four shots on target.
That and a Tielemans’ wondergoal will give you an A-for-effort and a trophy-less ride home.
“We are disappointed and not angry with our performance from the boys,” Tuchel said. “I think the performance is enough to win it. I think today we were unlucky and we’ve never hidden that we need to have that to win at this level. You need momentum, decision making, little details, the referee.
[ MORE: Pulisic Watch – How did he perform off bench in final? ]
“I think we defended well, counter-pressed well, didn’t allow counter-attacks by one of the best counter-attacking sides in Europe. Our decision-making in the first half was too hectic. We tried to force the solution. We created two against two and three against three situations that were more promising than we made of it.
“We conceded a goal from nothing. It’s a fantastic goal and a lucky goal. We have a chance from Mason, an offisde goal that was very close. We were unlucky today.”
Like many of, oddly-enough, Man City’s disappointing results earlier this year, the manager isn’t wrong in staying his team was better but lost. It just doesn’t feel reassuring when it comes in a final... especially with another final looming that could define big-game resumes for the Chelsea tenures of players and staff.