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As it happenedended1492884912

Chelsea vs Tottenham - as it happened! Antonio Conte's men reach the FA Cup final

Follow all the live action from the national stadium

Joe Miles,Adam Theofilatos
Friday 21 April 2017 13:41 BST
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Willian's sublime free-kick handed Chelsea an early lead
Willian's sublime free-kick handed Chelsea an early lead (Getty)

Chelsea have not lost back-to-back matches for over a year, but a defeat to Spurs could prove to be far more damaging than just crashing of the FA Cup. A win for Tottenham would ramp up the pressure ahead of difficult fixtures against Southampton and Everton in the league next week and could well impact the eventual outcome of the Premier League.

The Blues were thoroughly outplayed by a weakened Manchester United team on the weekend and Antonio Conte will be desperate to turn around his team’s fortunes against their North London rivals.

Tottenham Hotspur’s season in recent weeks has been one of improvement and pure optimism. Spurs have not won a noteworthy prize since the Carling Cup in 2008, but Mauricio Pochettino’s men have their eyes on the realistic chance of winning both the FA Cup and the Premier League this season.

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What time is kick-off?

The match will start at 5.15pm on Saturday.

Where can I watch it?

BBC One. Coverage starts at 4.50pm.

It’s a big match for…

Asmir Begovic: The Chelsea second choice keeper has missed three Wembley FA cup ties in his career (twice at Portsmouth and once at Stoke) and it looks as if he will finally get his chance despite it being mostly due to the injury of Thibaut Courtois. Begovic will be hoping for a dream Wembley FA Cup debut as well as a chance to make up for the Manchester United nightmare.

Remember when…

The Chelsea dressing room celebrated a dramatic 2-1 win over Liverpool at a packed out Wembley stadium in 2012.

Player to watch…

Dele Alli. The 21-year-old has scored 16 Premier League goals for Tottenham this season, and just 12 months after picking up the PFA young player of the year award, Alli is once again the favourite to win the prize this year. Alli has a knack of scoring in big games and with the likely absence of Son Heung-Min it will be down to him and Harry Kane to take up the primary goal scoring roles.

Form…

Chelsea: LWWLWW

Tottenham: WWWWWW

Kane's Tottenham side are bang in form (Getty) (Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty I)

Odds…

Chelsea to win: 17/10

Draw: 11/5

Tottenham to win: 9/5

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68 MINS

Substitution: Son is replaced by Walker. 

Joe Miles22 April 2017 18:43
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70 MINS

Ake trips Kane, giving away an unnecessary foul inside of his own half. The central defender has done well at the back so far, but he is occasionally a little too clumsy in his challenges.

Joe Miles22 April 2017 18:45
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71 MINS

Eriksen sends Tottenham's ninth corner into the box, but it dribbles across the face of goal without any interruption from a Spurs player. Pochettino's men need to be making more of their set pieces. 

Joe Miles22 April 2017 18:47
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73 MINS

Yellow card: Alli trips Moses and is booked for the late challenge. 

Joe Miles22 April 2017 18:48
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74 MINS

Substitution: Fabregas replaces Pedro.

Joe Miles22 April 2017 18:49
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75 MINS

GOAL

CHELSEA 3 - 2 TOTTENHAM

Substitute Hazard has put Chelsea ahead for the third time in this semi-final fixture. The corner kick goes into the area, it then falls to Hazard on the edge of the area, who looks up and slots it past Lloris with a left-footed strike. 

Joe Miles22 April 2017 18:51
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78 MINS

Can Tottenham find an equaliser for the third time today? It is a huge ask from Pochettino's men, but following the performance so far, it's certainly possible. 

Joe Miles22 April 2017 18:53
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79 MINS

Substitution: Wanyama is replaced by Nkoudou.

Joe Miles22 April 2017 18:54
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80 MINS

GOAL

CHELSEA 4 - 2 TOTTENHAM

Matic puts Chelsea within touching distance of the FA Cup final, with a sublime strike from distance. Out of nowhere, the 28-year-old picks up a pass from Hazard and hits it into the top right corner of the net. Simply outstanding. 

Joe Miles22 April 2017 18:56
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83 MINS

Hazard gets put through on goal, skips past Lloris and pulls it back to Alonso. The 26-year-old pulls the trigger, but his attempt for Chelsea's fifth goal is blocked. 

Joe Miles22 April 2017 18:59

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