Chelsea

Manchester City bounced back from the disappointment of the Champions League quarter-final exit to Real Madrid as Bernardo Silva's late goal sunk Chelsea at Wembley to seal a place in the FA Cup final.

It was redemption for Silva after his poor spot-kick played a key role in City's loss on penalties to Real.

The Portuguese midfielder turned in the winner at the far post from Kevin de Bruyne's cross six minutes from time.

Chelsea will regret missing a host of chances, nearly all falling to striker Nicolas Jackson, as they suffered another agonising Wembley experience after the extra-time defeat on penalties against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final.

And Chelsea also feel they were victims of an injustice as they were infuriated that they were not awarded a second-half penalty when Cole Palmer's free-kick struck Jack Grealish's hand in the wall, only for the video assistant referee to rule no offence had taken place.

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The team news for the FA Cup semi-final between Manchester City and Chelsea is in, with less than an hour to go before kick-off at Wembley.

Watch the match on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport

Listen to full match commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds

Follow all of the action and reaction here

This week, BBC Football expert Chris Sutton is taking on singer-songwriter and Arsenal fan Sam Tompkins to predict the results of the FA Cup semi-finals.

Sutton's prediction: 3-0

Manchester City did not deserve to go out of the Champions League on Wednesday. On the balance of play against Real Madrid, they can count themselves a bit unlucky to lose the tie.

It is important that they bounce back quickly, though, starting here.

City's main focus now will be their attempt to become the first side in the 136-year history of English league football to be crowned champions four times in a row. That would be a huge achievement, and going out of Europe will aid that.

Pep is greedy for trophies though, and of course he will want to lift the FA Cup again too.

Chelsea have drawn with City twice this season and they will be dangerous with Cole Palmer in their team.

But the kerfuffle over who would take their penalty against Everton on Monday, when Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson argued before Palmer took the ball and scored his fourth goal, sums up the whole situation at the club.

I would not mind seeing that happen if Palmer had missed a few penalties on the trot, because then it is someone else's turn.

But it appears that they have an odd dressing room at the moment, with a lot of inflated egos in there, and if Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino cannot create harmony, you wonder whoever will.

On the pitch, Chelsea have shown a bit more consistency in the second half of the season with an eight-game unbeaten run in the league that has put them in the race for sixth place.

Pochettino will want a trophy to underline their improvement, but I think it will be City who progress. I am backing the holders to flex their muscles again, go again... and win this tie quite comfortably.

Sam's prediction: 2-1 after extra time

It's going to be tighter than people might think because a win like the one Chelsea got the other day really puts you in your stride - plus Palmer is playing so well.

Read the rest of their predictions here

Chelsea play Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Saturday. It’s the Blues second trip to the stadium this season after reaching the League Cup final.

Mauricio Pochettino has been speaking to the media ahead of the match and here are the main lines:

• He gave further reflections on the scenes before Cole Palmer's penalty on Monday: "We were talking a lot this week because we were practising penalties. I made it clear after the game. We had a meeting with the players and staff and they were involved, [as was] the sporting director. I explained my feelings and in the future it cannot happen like this. Now we need to move on."

• On Cole Palmer's outstanding form: "We never judge a player when we sign them. We also sign the player believing that they can perform. It is true he is performing in a good way, maybe over expectations.

• He expects Palmer to once again deliver against his former club: "He already played them twice in the Premier League. He is very grateful for Manchester City and his coach Pep Guardiola. He always talks very highly about them. He's not the type of player to have something inside. He understood perfectly that he wanted to prove himself in another club. But also [he said] a thank you to Manchester City for giving the opportunity to him to move to another club. He is very grateful and talks kindly about Pep and Manchester City."

• On Palmer having to deal with pressure: "The demands are so high now. Because he is scoring, maybe he needs to pay attention to things he maybe did not pay attention [to before]. That is going to have an influence on how he is going to prepare, how he is going to rest, how he is going to sleep and how he is going to spend his energy. That's why we need to be careful. We have the experience to manage this type of thing when a young kid becomes a big star."

• He pondered whether Chelsea could take advantage of City's Champions League game with Real Madrid going to extra time on Wednesday: "When you play 120 minutes in the Champions League, the effort is massive and the emotional thing is not easy to recover when you lose the possibility to go to the semi final. It is going to be tough for them."

• However, he is not expecting City to drop their levels: "We need to remember they have an unbelievable squad. They are going to perform in the same way. They have shown in the past six to seven years how consistent they are. It’s a challenge for us as they are doing a fantastic job and playing fantastic football showing that they are one of the best teams in the world."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences

Listen to full commentary of Manchester City v Chelsea from 17:15 BST on Saturday on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds

How do you stop Cole Palmer? And where might he be at his best for Chelsea?

Former defender Mario Melchiot wants "freedom" for the attacker, while ex-Premier League midfielder Michael Brown wonders if teams will start giving Palmer additional attention during games.

Watch a clip above or take in The Football News Show here

Bayern Munich forward Jamal Musiala is emerging as Manchester City's top target for the summer, while Chelsea are also monitoring the Germany international's situation. (Guardian), external

However, Bayern have no intention of selling Musiala and are preparing a new contract offer for the 21-year-old. (Fabrizio Romano), external

The Blues and Manchester United are monitoring 20-year-old RB Leipzig and Slovenia forward Benjamin Sesko, who has a 50m euro (£42.8m) release clause. (Ben Jacobs), external

Liverpool and Paris St-Germain are considering a move for 21-year-old Chelsea and England defender Levi Colwill. (GiveMeSport), external

Meanwhile, Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku is expected to return to Chelsea at the end of his season-long loan in Italy at Roma, who will not be able to afford the 43m euros to sign the 30-year-old on a permanent basis. (Gazzetta dello Sport - in Italian), external

Finally, Chelsea and Newcastle United are interested in Arsenal and England goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale. (CaughtOffside), external

Want more transfer news? Read Friday's full gossip column

The penalty incident against Everton on Monday was madness.

Fighting over it at 4-0 up and then Connor Gallagher having to come over and sort it out. Cole Palmer desperately wants to take it when he has been taking the penalties and scoring them.

It showed a little bit of selfishness in some of the players and you question then whether that is why we are getting an inconsistent performance.

I don't feel it was immaturity showing, but it is about knowing that the team comes first and this is what is put in place.

It looks really bad on Mauricio Pochettino regarding discipline. Who is the penalty taker? I understand it changes at some points and they will be thinking: 'He has got three, can I have a go?'

So is it selfish? Is it sharing? What is the right thing to do? Only they know what the set-up is in that camp and what has been told to them.

Pochettino had to come out strong after the match. He had to say it will not happen again. He had to because he is the boss.

He managed that situation in the media very well. Being very quick, coming and addressing the situation and sorting the problem out head on. I thought he got it right.

Does this create a bad vibe with the players now? There are always problems between players and times when you do not always agree with situations, but I don't think this will be a huge problem.

It is not a fight. It just a case of players saying 'let me have a go' and gaining confidence for others players. It is not a big deal and they can move on.

Michael Brown was speaking to BBC Sport's Nicola Pearson

Image source, Getty Images

In sharp contrast to their respective narratives for much of this season, Chelsea go into Saturday's FA Cup semi-final on a high while Manchester City arrive on a low.

Mauricio Pochettino's side have not lost since the Carabao Cup final on 25 February. Their eight-game unbeaten Premier League run since Wolverhampton Wanderers visited Stamford Bridge on 4 February is by some distance their longest of the season.

City, on the other hand, have just completed a gruelling 120 minutes against Real Madrid which ended in penalty heartbreak and a Champions League exit.

Pep Guardiola is not one for regret but one man he may have wished he could have turned to on Wednesday is Cole Palmer - not least for his composure from 12 yards.

Palmer joined City at under-eight level and departed the club for west London last summer as a 21-year-old. He showed glimpses of his prodigious talent in limited minutes under Guardiola but made the decision to leave and play regularly rather than fight for scraps from the Treble-winners' bench.

What a decision it has been. Palmer has 20 goals and nine assists in the Premier League - level with City's Erling Haaland at the top of the goalscoring charts and level with Ollie Watkins of Aston Villa for goal involvements.

His minutes-per-goal record is superior to Haaland and no City player has contributed to more goals this season than their former team-mate.

From a creative standpoint, he also outscores the entire City squad with his 22 goal-creating actions, 58 passes into the penalty area and nine assists.

For him to perform so well in such a chaotic environment and team as Chelsea is a testament to the character and temperament of the man as well as the raw ability of the footballer.

Winning player of the year may be a stretch given standout performers from the title challengers, but a mention in passing for the award is surely the least Palmer deserves. Young player of the year should be a shoo-in.

He will arrive at Wembley on the back of a four-goal haul against Everton on Monday - his second successive home hat-trick - and, having scored against City earlier this season, again with a point to prove against a team that will themselves be wounded and hurting.

Guardiola won the Treble last season with Palmer in his ranks. He may have just one trophy left to fight for after they meet on opposite sides on Saturday.

Take our quiz by identifying the disguised players who have scored for either Manchester City or Chelsea in the FA Cup before their semi-final this weekend.

Here are the key facts before Manchester City play Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final on Saturday at Wembley (17:15 BST).

• Manchester City are unbeaten in their past eight meetings with Chelsea, though both games between the sides in the Premier League this season have been drawn.

• Chelsea have been eliminated from five of their past seven FA Cup ties against City, including in the third round last season. However, they did beat them 1-0 the last time they played them in the semi-finals (2020-21).

• This is the seventh time in eight seasons under Pep Guardiola that Manchester City are playing in the semi-finals of the FA Cup and they will be the first team to do so in six consecutive campaigns. However, they have only progressed from two of their previous six under the Spaniard (2019 and 2023), with three of their four defeats coming against London sides (two by Arsenal and one by Chelsea).

• If they do progress, City would reach the FA Cup final in consecutive campaigns for the third time, previously doing so in 1933-34 and 1955-56.

• City have won 28 of their past 31 FA Cup matches, including their past 10. The last team to win more in a row was Chelsea (13 between 2009 and 2011).

• Chelsea's Mauricio Pochettino has been eliminated from four of his eight major semi-finals in his managerial career. He lost both of his FA Cup semi-finals with Tottenham (2017 and 2018) and his only last-four tie against a Guardiola team (the 2020-21 Champions League semi-final when at Paris St-Germain).

• Raheem Sterling has scored in both of Chelsea’s meetings with Manchester City this season. He could be the first Blues player to score in three different games against them in a campaign.

Watch the FA Cup semi-final on BBC One and BBC iPlayer and listen to commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds

Image source, Getty Images

Former Premier League defender Nedum Onuoha spoke to the Planet Premier League podcast about Chelsea's penalty incident in their 6-0 win over Everton on Monday: "I don't mind if somebody comes up to someone and asks, ‘can I take the penalty?’ But when somebody goes up, gets the ball and says, ‘I am going to take this penalty’, and what you say does not matter, that's like a really ego thing and I don't love that.

"If they're like that in that moment, and they don't celebrate with them afterwards, that reveals something. It's not very harmonious to be honest."

Former Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas added: "If you are the penalty taker, you are the penalty taker, if you are 6-0 up or you are 1-1. I would like to see those brave players wanting to take it in a moment of difficulty.

"I had a similar experience. The European Championship 2016, Spain against Croatia. It was 1-1 and I was the penalty taker. I was about to kick the penalty to make it 2-1 to us if I had scored, and there was someone coming from the back and said, ‘I want to take it’. And I said, ‘No, no, I'm about to take it.

"There was starting to be a little bit of confrontation, I did back off and I regret it but at the same time, I hate it when I see these type of things. I think it creates such a bad vibe, such a bad atmosphere around the place that I just gave it up.

"I didn't want to be part of anything so ugly. My team-mate shot the penalty, we end up missing it and then after that, we ended up losing the game."

Listen to the full episode here

Image source, Getty Images

Former Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole has praised Cole Palmer's mentality for refusing to hand over penalty duties to his team-mates in Chelsea's 6-0 victory over Everton on Monday.

Palmer, who Pochettino confirmed is his main penalty taker after the match, scored his ninth goal from the spot this season.

"It's fantastic he has got that mindset - he is not a wallflower" Cole said.

"He is a proper player, he will go anywhere on the pitch and take the ball, he backs himself.

"Sometimes people can look at that with disdain, saying it's arrogance. It's not arrogance. We need it and we need more players like that."

Chelsea and Barcelona are among several European clubs considering a move for Roma's 30-year-old Argentina striker Paulo Dybala. (Rudy Galetti), external

Newcastle United and Liverpool have entered the race to sign Sporting Lisbon's 20-year-old Ivory Coast defender Ousmane Diomande, who is also wanted by Chelsea. (Football Transfers), external

Nottingham Forest want in excess of £20m for 21-year-old Brazilian centre-back Murillo amid interest from the Blues, Liverpool, Manchester United and Paris St-Germain. (Football Insider), external

Shakhtar Donetsk expect to lose Ukraine midfielder Georgiy Sudakov this summer, with Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United interested in the 21-year-old. (Evening Standard), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer is "lapping it up" as the focal point for the Blues this season, according to the iPaper's chief football writer Daniel Storey.

The 21-year-old, who joined Chelsea from Manchester City for £40m in the summer, continued his incredible debut season for the club against Everton on Monday night by scoring four goals - including a 'perfect' hat-trick.

He has netted 23 times and made 13 assists in all competitions for the Blues this campaign and is now joint-first alongside Erling Haaland in the race for the Premier League Golden Boot.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast, Storey said: "[Palmer] come from a Manchester City academy that is incredibly tactically controlled under Pep Guardiola every day, even in training.

"Chelsea is a bit of a mad house, or has been a bit of a mad house for most of this season tactically. I wonder if being able to grab games by the scruff of the neck and have some responsibility - to be a £40m signing that is going to play every week - that has dragged that sense of purpose out of him.

"It also helps that he is really hard to defend against. Around him people don't know who is going to start or how Chelsea are going to play from week to week. Sometimes they seek possession, sometimes they make mistakes, sometimes they play on the counter and sometimes they play with the ball so him being that still point in there... he is just lapping it up.

"He is loving the confidence and the trust that Pochettino is putting in him. If he feels like there is something to prove after Manchester City then all the better for him and all the better for England too."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

With the help of University of Liverpool's football finance expert Kieran Maguire and his database of club accounts up to 2023, BBC Sport has attempted to break down the overall Premier League picture in charts.

Chelsea lead spending on agents' fees at £75m and are among the sides to post eye-watering losses in recent weeks.

For this page, we have picked out some of the Blues' more notable numbers but check out the full piece here.

"It cost former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich about £900,000 a week for 19 years in terms of interest-free loans to cover the club's losses," said Maguire.

Now under the stewardship of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital the Blues are still among the biggest losers when it comes to loss before tax, only behind Tottenham, Aston Villa and Manchester United by this metric.

They spent £747m on transfers last season and in March reported a pre-tax loss of £90m, having lost £121m the previous year.

In figures published by Companies House, it is now clear the losses would have been even higher without the sale of hotel buildings to Blueco 22 Properties Ltd, a subsidiary of parent company Blueco 22 Ltd, which led to a profit for the club of £76.5m.

Chelsea's strategy under owner Todd Boehly of signing expensive young players on long contracts to spread the cost introduced the word 'amortisation' to the footballing lexicon.

Enzo Fernandez's eight-year deal as part of his £106m transfer was one high-profile example.

The above graph shows total amortisation cost for the financial year and relates to all the players in the squad who have been signed for transfer fees. It counts as a cost on Premier League profit and sustainability (PSR) accounts.

Chelsea unsurprisingly lead the way by a considerable distance, with the majority of new signings being signed to at least six-year deals to spread payments across a long period and limiting the losses per year - thus helping meet PSR requirements.

Maguire says there is "an extremely high correlation between wages and final league position" but it is clear from the graph that this does not apply to Chelsea.

The Blues are only second to Treble-winning, all-conquering Manchester City when it comes to their average weekly spend on wages but finished 12th last season and are currently languishing in ninth currently this.

Their wage bill also rose by 18% from the 2021-2022 season to £404m total.

Image source, Getty Images

Borussia Dortmund's magnificent victory against Atletico Madrid was great news for on-loan Manchester United star Jadon Sancho and Marcel Sabitzer, who left Old Trafford after spending the second half of last season on loan with Erik ten Hag's side.

However, it was bad news for England's chances of a fifth Champions League place next term.

Borussia Dortmund gained points for their match victory and a bonus for reaching the semi-final.

Those three co-efficient points are then divided by seven - the number of German teams who played in Europe this season - and added to their total.

It takes Germany onto 17.214, still trailing Italy, who have 18.428, but crucially, clear of England, who have 16.750.

The battle is not over yet but England could really do with Arsenal knocking out Bayern Munich tonight or West Ham reaching the Europa League semi-finals at the expense of Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday.

Fulham have identified Chelsea's Trevoh Chalobah, 24, as a potential replacement for fellow English centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo, 26, who is expected to leave when his contract expires at the end of the season. (Teamtalk, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Image source, Reuters

Former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin says Cole Palmer was "utterly in the right" for stepping up himself to score a penalty against Everton, following a dispute between team-mates about who should take it.

The Blues were 4-0 up when they were awarded a second-half spot-kick. Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke argued over who would take it, before Palmer - Chelsea's regular taker - scored his fourth goal of the match.

Manager Mauricio Pochettino said afterwards that he "can't accept this kind of behaviour" and ex-Scotland international Nevin told BBC Radio 5 Live: "Cole Palmer is the penalty taker.

"Others who want to walk up and try to take the ball off him - the rule in dressing rooms and in squads is to leave it, it's him and it's his decision. It may well be you want to score a goal and get your confidence up, but it does not matter, it's not your choice."

Nevin continued: "Palmer was absolutely and utterly in the right. Well done to Conor Gallagher, stepping in exactly when he should have done as well. The others? Well, the manager should have a strong word with you.

"Management's an important thing, how you get the best out of people. My temptation, had I been manager, would have been to hook the other two players. Just take them off, say 'don't do that again and this is your punishment', just to show them that you must work as a group.

"But they're young and certainly you can see there's some improvement there."