Manchester City’s quest for an unprecedented quadruple ended on Saturday when Chelsea beat them 1-0 in their FA Cup semifinal at Wembley.
Hakim Ziyech landed the killer blow in the 55th-minute, with City failing to create much in a attack and star playmaker Kevin de Bruyne going off with an ankle injury at the start of the second half.
FULL TIME | City bow out of the FA Cup.
— Manchester City (@ManCity) April 17, 2021
🦁 1-0 🔵 #ManCity | https://t.co/axa0klUGiM pic.twitter.com/m4Y3J1evql
City, who are 11 points clear at the top of the Premier League, take on Tottenham in the League Cup final on Sunday and are in the Champions League semifinals where they face Paris St Germain – meaning they can still claim a treble this term.
But skipper Fernandinho says they were beaten by the better side on Saturday.
The Brazilian veteran midfielder says: “It’s a big disappointment to lose an FA Cup semifinal – it’s hard to take. It was an important match for us but they were a bit better than us.
“For the team, which wants to fight for every trophy, we have to refocus as soon as possible and tomorrow we'll focus on the game at Villa [in the league on Wednesday], then the League Cup final.
“Every game we have to be ready to give our best.”
Blues boss Thomas Tuchel hailed his manne and says the victory will go a long way in boosting their confidence with the FA Cup final and Champions League semifinals to look forward to.
He says: “We deserved the win against one of the best teams with the best manager so that is a huge boost for our progression and development.
“We arrived with a young team,so it’s important to have this experience.”