Cup Final | Vital Football

Cup Final

PhilK66

Vital 1st Team Regular
I enjoyed it as a complete neutral with no team preference.

But the referee was a joke and came close to ruining the whole thing.
 
Easily the best covid behind closed doors that I have seen. Credit to the players but the injuries are a worrying marker for what is to come. This on off schedule punctuated by several games in quick succession takes a toll and they now have little time to prepare for next season. Managers will need to adapt to the new situation and try not to overload individuals.
 
I didn’t even realise it was cup final day until I went on the BBC website last night and saw the headline “Arsenal come from behind to win the FA Cup”
 
I didn’t even realise it was cup final day until I went on the BBC website last night and saw the headline “Arsenal come from behind to win the FA Cup”
Sadly it’s just another game these days. Decent match but didn’t feel like a cup final at all, obviously the Covid situation didn’t help.
 
I didn’t even realise it was cup final day until I went on the BBC website last night and saw the headline “Arsenal come from behind to win the FA Cup”
I was the same until someone mentioned it to me on Saturday morning. I didn't know who was playing, no interest really, more interested in Dartford v Weymouth play off final!
 
I enjoyed it. A good game.

Think people need to get over the fact it's no longer the most important award to clubs these days as it obviously once was before the champions league and premiership became so important, and just enjoy it for what it is.

That said, people talk about it being devalued by clubs, but the 4 clubs in the semis were all top clubs. Doesnt come across as devaluing it to me.

Not sure what the ref did that much wrong really? Every decision was correct until the second yellow, which was made when chelsea were already 2-1 down anyway. Except maybe there was an argument to send off the player who pulled aubameyang back for their penalty, rather than just gice the yellow.
 
I enjoyed it. A good game.

Think people need to get over the fact it's no longer the most important award to clubs these days as it obviously once was before the champions league and premiership became so important, and just enjoy it for what it is.

That said, people talk about it being devalued by clubs, but the 4 clubs in the semis were all top clubs. Doesnt come across as devaluing it to me.

Not sure what the ref did that much wrong really? Every decision was correct until the second yellow, which was made when chelsea were already 2-1 down anyway. Except maybe there was an argument to send off the player who pulled aubameyang back for their penalty, rather than just gice the yellow.
Most of the football journalists in their reports reckon the referee had a poor game.
 
Most of the football journalists in their reports reckon the referee had a poor game.
I dont give a toss what other commentators think. I watched the game, and i know what i saw. By all means tell me what, other than the 2nd yellow for kovacic he did wrong, dont just tell me what other people think without backing it up with evidence/examples.

... if thats the route youre going down though, the bbc commentators and pundits didn't seem to make too much of a deal of his performance. So not all commentators?

He could have sent a chelsea player off earlier but didnt, maybe thats what they were referring to? The Martinez handball decision looked to be correct, and lets be honest chelseq were already losing by the time kocacic was sent off. He had also been making multiple fouls even after his first yellow. I said to my wife he needs to be careful as he's at risk of getting another yellow just for repetitive fouling.

Dont see much mention of the ref in these articles:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/53546100 - chief writer for bbc

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/53614883 - frank lampard, Chelsea manager, even he fails to mention it.
 
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I would give a Champions League place to the FA Cup winners, with the 4th place team in the Prem only getting in if a team in the top three also wins the cup.

The facts don’t lie that the competition is being devalued with people refusing to go (in normal times) unless there are heavy ticket reductions, not to mention weakened teams. The top four teams are likely to have strong fringe players but at least they’ve started playing their first teams in the latter rounds again.
 
I dont give a toss what other commentators think. I watched the game, and i know what i saw. By all means tell me what, other than the 2nd yellow for kovacic he did wrong, dont just tell me what other people think without backing it up with evidence/examples.

... if thats the route youre going down though, the bbc commentators and pundits didn't seem to make too much of a deal of his performance. So not all commentators?

He could have sent a chelsea player off earlier but didnt, maybe thats what they were referring to? The Martinez handball decision looked to be correct, and lets be honest chelseq were already losing by the time kocacic was sent off. He had also been making multiple fouls even after his first yellow. I said to my wife he needs to be careful as he's at risk of getting another yellow just for repetitive fouling.

Dont see much mention of the ref in these articles:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/53546100 - chief writer for bbc

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/53614883 - frank lampard, Chelsea manager, even he fails to mention it.
Just watch your blood pressure mate
 
Good debate.👌
Mirror : "FA Cup Final referee Anthony Taylor hammered by former official over Wembley display"

"In my view, you could not describe it even as a foul on Granit Xhaka and, at worst, the challenge was careless as opposed to reckless. Which meant that it certainly should not have been a booking. " (Keith Hackett)

MARK CLATTENBURG: FA bent their rules to give Anthony Taylor second Cup final on Saturday.... and Chelsea were wronged by Mateo Kovacic's second yellow card at Wembley

Phil McNulty (BBC) : It should also be said that much of the things that could go wrong for Chelsea did go wrong, from injuries to captain Cesar Azpilicueta and Pulisic to a second yellow card for Mateo Kovacic that looked to be a totally mystifying decision from referee Anthony Taylor.

Chelsea boss Lampard slams referee Taylor

Daily Telegraph reporter: "Kovacic was shown the red card and it looked like this very open game at last had a winner. Taylor booked Dani Ceballos for demanding the second yellow card before he then belatedly gave that second yellow to Kovacic – a bad decision "
 
Mirror : "FA Cup Final referee Anthony Taylor hammered by former official over Wembley display"

"In my view, you could not describe it even as a foul on Granit Xhaka and, at worst, the challenge was careless as opposed to reckless. Which meant that it certainly should not have been a booking. " (Keith Hackett)

MARK CLATTENBURG: FA bent their rules to give Anthony Taylor second Cup final on Saturday.... and Chelsea were wronged by Mateo Kovacic's second yellow card at Wembley

Phil McNulty (BBC) : It should also be said that much of the things that could go wrong for Chelsea did go wrong, from injuries to captain Cesar Azpilicueta and Pulisic to a second yellow card for Mateo Kovacic that looked to be a totally mystifying decision from referee Anthony Taylor.

Chelsea boss Lampard slams referee Taylor

Daily Telegraph reporter: "Kovacic was shown the red card and it looked like this very open game at last had a winner. Taylor booked Dani Ceballos for demanding the second yellow card before he then belatedly gave that second yellow to Kovacic – a bad decision "
All of those reports discuss just the one decision. I dont think thats tantamount to having a poor game overall as you claim. I even accept that he had made a mistake with that one. But its worth noting arsenal were already one up by then. It dodnt really change the course of the game. Lampard even accepted the issues came from them taking it too easy once 1.0 up, and the injuries. No the sending off didnt help, but by then it was too late imo.

You make it sound like the game was ruined by his constant ineptitude, which simply wasnt the case at all.
 
All of those reports discuss just the one decision. I dont think thats tantamount to having a poor game overall as you claim. I even accept that he had made a mistake with that one. But its worth noting arsenal were already one up by then. It dodnt really change the course of the game. Lampard even accepted the issues came from them taking it too easy once 1.0 up, and the injuries. No the sending off didnt help, but by then it was too late imo.

You make it sound like the game was ruined by his constant ineptitude, which simply wasnt the case at all.
Was according to Hackett:
"FA Cup Final referee Anthony Taylor hammered by former official over Wembley display"

Anyway we can just agree to differ. Have a nice day.
 
But its worth noting arsenal were already one up by then. It dodnt really change the course of the game.

I didn't see the game, so I've no idea about the ref's performance, or whether the sending off was justified or not. But leaving aside the rights or wrongs of the decision itself, how on earth can you say that a team that's only losing by 1 goal having to play the last 20 minutes or so with 10 men doesn't change the course of the game? If they were losing by 3 or 4 goals, it wouldn't change the course of the game. If they were losing by 1 goal in stoppage time, it probably wouldn't change the course of the game. But in the context of that match I'd say that playing the last 20 minutes with 10 men was a major disadvantage for Chelsea.
 
I didn't see the game, so I've no idea about the ref's performance, or whether the sending off was justified or not. But leaving aside the rights or wrongs of the decision itself, how on earth can you say that a team that's only losing by 1 goal having to play the last 20 minutes or so with 10 men doesn't change the course of the game? If they were losing by 3 or 4 goals, it wouldn't change the course of the game. If they were losing by 1 goal in stoppage time, it probably wouldn't change the course of the game. But in the context of that match I'd say that playing the last 20 minutes with 10 men was a major disadvantage for Chelsea.
Watching the game, chelsea offered not much after the first 20 minutes, so i dont think it changed the course of the game. Yes of course at 1 goal difference theres always a chance but i didnt see it happening. Theres also an argument to say a chelsea player could have been sent off even earlier to be honest.

Yes it was a poor decision, but it was one poor decision, thats all. He didnt have too bad a game overall as is being made out.

People were slating him on social media over the martinez handball at the time, yet that was later proven to be correct with the right tv angles.
 
For my tuppence worth, I thought the ref was ok.
Didn’t really notice him to be honest.
The sending off was incorrect in my view but having said that, I thought it was correct until the replay.
Hindsight changed my mind.
As the said, the guy was fouling all game so that must have been in the refs mind.