LONDON - Chelsea's most turbulent season in modern history could come to an end as many could end up with yet another trophy before it.
Chelsea will return to Wembley on 14 May to take part in the FA Cup final against Liverpool, beating Crystal Palace 2-0 in Sunday's second semi-final, courtesy of goals from substitute Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mason Mount. By then they may even have a new owner.
New York-based merchant bank Rhine Group is expected to identify the preferred bidder from a shortlist of four over the next few days. Once the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has approved the chosen squad, the Premier League will complete the requisite ownership test – chief executive Richard Masters has said that the fastest previous finish was 10 days "but added that Not that record cannot be defeated."
It is therefore possible that the first piece of Chelsea silverware may have arrived at the earliest possible occasion in the post-Roman Abramovich era, the climax of a highly uncertain two-and-a-half-month spell that began with Chelsea's final visit to Wembley. It was February's Carabao Cup final defeat to (coincidentally enough) Liverpool.
The mere fact that he has this opportunity is a testament to the job manager Thomas Tuchel has done in navigating a season in which Sunday's win was Chelsea's 54th game in all competitions. In contrast, Crystal Palace have now played just 37.
Expectations are low at Palace - it was only their second FA Cup semi-final since 1995 - and Tuchel has a squad with a lot of depth as a result. But since Abramovich has indicated that Chelsea have had to negotiate an unprecedented spell, his ownership could develop before UK government sanctions restricted the club's ability to operate as usual. Travel plans are thrown into chaos, contract negotiations stalled, the club shop is closed for business.
Abramovich's first statement - Chelsea's attempt to avoid a sale by passing the club's "caretaker and care" to the Charitable Foundation trustees - came the night before they faced Liverpool in February, a game in which they won 11-10 on penalties. faced defeat. 0-0 draw. Now, Chelsea will face Liverpool again, they hope, their ownership mess in the rearview.
"As you know, we gave everything in that final, and it was a big match that lasted until the last penalty," Tuchel said after Sunday's semi-final. "Of course we were unlucky and lost it.
"We want to turn things around. It won't give us the Carabao title back but here we are. We were here last season in the FA Cup final, we're here again, and it means incredible to us because the FA Cup is probably at Wembley The most prestigious, played, is the world's most traditional cup.
"There aren't a lot of big games to be a part of. So we're grateful and we'll be well prepared as we play against one of the strongest teams in the world, who has had great form. We'll try for them." To make life difficult."
Since Abramovich's first announcement, Chelsea's identity has been in question - a club so irrevocably molded in the image of a philanthropic philanthropist but now trying to keep the Tuchel Blues at the level they belong to. have become accustomed.
Despite a stellar second-leg performance at Real Madrid pulling out of the Champions League in the quarterfinal stage, they partly fell short in midweek - and the after-effects of such a debilitating night were early evidence here.
Palace owner Patrick Vieira dropped his usual shape to face Chelsea with a three-man defense and, given the Blues' dominant legs, the first half was a stalemate, thanks to an injury to Matteo Kovacic. Most notable was the one that forced Loftus-Cheek. 26th minute introduction.
Although Chelsea improved after the restart, play appeared to be heading into extra time when Tyreek Mitchell lost the ball cheaply on the edge of Palace's box after 65 minutes and the Blues broke. Kai Havertz looked to cross, but his pass took a deflection that fell all the way to Loftus-Cheek, whose shot flew through a slight deflection from Palace goalkeeper Jack Butland.
It was quite a moment for Loftus-Cheek to score his first goal of the season, ending 59 games and 56 shots without scoring.
Palace's game plan was undone and they were unable to advance through the gears. Eleven minutes passed before Timo Werner entered and timed a fine pass for Mount, who had one second to seal Chelsea's spot in the following month's showpiece.
There was still time for an embarrassing lapse from Romelu Lukaku - hitting the post from five yards with the goal at his mercy - but that didn't affect Tuchel's remarkable semi-final record, now 11 for Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.
Even more impressively, it is Tuchel's sixth final with Chelsea in just 15 months since succeeding Frank Lampard as head coach. And it will be a third consecutive FA Cup final after losing to Arsenal in 2020 under Lampard and Leicester City last year, adding to the feeling of Chelsea coming full circle.
"Having this big final at the end of the season is huge because it gives you some pleasure to wait and right now if it's not just the league that's demanding enough, but you have another final, which gives you There's a lot of confidence and it's a huge emotional boost," Tuchel said.
"All we can do now is to be well prepared because it will be another tough fight, which is incredibly difficult to beat, considering the quality and the recent runs of Liverpool," Tuchel said. "But that's what a cup final is about - it's about winning. We need to try to find a way to beat them."
Chelsea habitually find a way out. They now have another chance to do so - perhaps at the beginning of a new era.