Manchester United face Chelsea in the 2018 FA Cup final on May 19 with both sides desperate to crown their seasons by claiming some silverware.
The Red Devils couldn’t keep pace with Manchester City in the Premier League, while disappointing exits from the Champions League and EFL Cup highlighted some of the deficiencies in Jose Mourinho’s squad.
Chelsea have struggled to replicate the form they showed during their title-winning success in 2016/17 and the final could be Antonio Conte’s last game in charge of the club.
Mourinho’s side eased into the semi-finals of the competition, defeating Derby County, Yeovil Town, Huddersfield Town and Brighton & Hove Albion without conceding a goal.
Goals by Alexis Sanchez and Andre Herrara helped United recover from 1-0 down to see off Tottenham Hotspur to reach their 29th major domestic cup final – more than any other side in English football.
Chelsea needed a replay to defeat Norwich City in the third round, but they beat Newcastle United, Hull City and Leicester City at the first time of asking to progress to the last four.
Olivier Giroud and Alvaro Morata were on target as the Blues beat Southampton 2-0 to set up what promises to be an exciting day out for both sets of fans.
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United last won the FA Cup in 2016 when they defeated Crystal Palace 2-1 after extra-time and they built on that last season by claiming the EFL Cup and the Europa League.
Chelsea were favourites to complete the double against Arsenal in last season’s final, but the Gunners upset the odds with a 2-1 success.
The London club are chasing an eighth FA Cup triumph, with their most recent win coming in 2011/12 when they defeated Liverpool.
The two sides’ last meeting came at Old Trafford back in February when goals by Romelu Lukaku and Jesse Lingard gave United a 2-1 victory.
The Red Devils recovered from a goal down after Willian started and finished a flowing move to give the visitors the lead in the first-half.
Mourinho described the performance as “special” after the game and he will be hoping for a similar display at Wembley.
With Conte looking almost certain to leave Chelsea this summer he would undoubtedly love to depart with an FA Cup success under his belt, but United are strongly fancied to win the competition for the 13th time.
