FA Cup: 3 lessons learnt from Chelseas victory
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united improved in the second half but it was too late to stop mourinho finishing the season empty-handed as conte celebrated1 chelsea beat manchester united 1-0 in the fa cup final on saturday as eden hazard scored the winner with a first-half penalty.here are three lessons from the wembley showpiece1 conte had spent much of the season locked in a vitriolic feud with united boss mourinho and although both claimed to have buried the hatchet this week there was no doubting the italians desire to beat his nemesis1 conte played his part in chelseas success sending them out on the front foot in the first half and then ordering them to soak up uniteds pressure after the interval1 it was a risky gambit but one that produced a handsome reward1 yet conte is aware his future at chelsea is precarious after 12 months of tension behind the scenes at stamford bridge and their failure to qualify for the champions league1 our job is very difficult. sometimes you can win but the club decides to sack you anyway he said recently1 contes dismissal would not be without precedent two years ago united sacked manager louis van gaal within hours of winning the fa cup1 it remains to be seen whether the italian suffers the same fate after leading chelsea to their first fa cup since 20121 for mourinho it was a rare disappointment on the big stage as he was beaten for only the third time in his 15 appearances in cup finals with porto chelsea inter milan real madrid and united1 criticised for adopting a cautious approach in uniteds biggest games this season mourinho once again paid the price for being too conservative in the first half1 mourinho had instructed ander herrera to stick close to hazard but that man-marking role left united out-numbered in midfield and the belgian made and scored the winner anyway1 in what could prove to be his final match as chelsea manager antonio conte enjoyed a sweet moment of vindication as he won his battle with old rival jose mourinho1 paul pogba and alexis sanchez cost united over 120 million in total transfer fees with their combined weekly wages amounting to around 500000-per-week1 but all that eye-watering investment bought united was the latest in a long list of underwhelming displays from their supposed superstars1 former arsenal forward sanchez had scored eight goals in as many games at wembley for club and country but in keeping with his lacklustre start to life with united he was largely anonymous against chelsea1 it didnt help that pogba once again played for long periods as though engaged in nothing more serious than a sunday kickabout in the park1 the duos lack of cohesion was encapsulated in the second half when pogba and sanchez fell over one after the other as the france midfielders miscued pass to the chilean was intercepted to stifle a united break1 pogba was so out of sorts that he didnt even hit the target with a late header that could have forced extra-time1 hazard was the lynchpin of chelseas two premier league title triumphs over the last four seasons but like many of his team-mates this had been something of a lost year for the belgium playmaker1 the 27-year-old had sparked talk of a move to real madrid this week when he flexed his muscles with chelseas hierarchy insisting he wanted to see who they sign in the close-season before deciding whether to sign a new contract1 but if that was concerning for chelsea fans they could at least take heart from hazards whole-hearted commitment to tormenting uniteds over-matched defence1 phil jones was brutally exposed when hazard caught him out of position with a sublime touch in the 22nd minute accelerating away from the united defender who responded by conceding a penalty that the unruffled chelsea star converted with nonchalant ease1 it was only hazards second goal in his last 16 appearances1 but it was his crafty contributions that kept chelsea in control as the belgian who departed to a standing ovation won the fa cup for the first time1