Leicester beat Chelsea in FA Cup final in front of biggest UK crowd since before pandemic | UK News

Leicester City won the FA Cup final, beating Chelsea in front of the UK’s biggest football crowd since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Youri Tielemans scored the lone goal in a 1-0 win for Brendan Rodgers’ side – his first trophy since his takeover, and a first-ever FA Cup triumph for the Foxes.

The Belgian midfielder took a shot in the top corner of the goal from 25 yards at 63 minutes.

The video assistant referee (VAR) refused a last-minute equalizer at Chelsea, after putting pressure on the pursuit of a goal that would have taken the game to extra time.

It had been a game of few clear chances up until this point, but Kasper Schmeichel was forced to two fantastic saves at the other end with 12 minutes remaining, pushing a Ben Chilwell header off the post and then performing another wonderful stop to turn down Mason Mount, as Chelsea searched for an answer.

Leicester, who lost key defender Jonny Evans to an injury mid-first half, held on and, 52 years after his last appearance in the FA Cup final, were able to hold the trophy in air for the first time in its history.

Chelsea’s second FA Cup final defeat in as many years is expected to put major pressure on the Blues’ end of the season.

New boss Thomas Tuchel transformed the Stamford Bridge men after replacing Frank Lampard in January, however Chelsea now face a dog fight to secure a top four finish in the Premier League, which begins by hosting Leicester on Tuesday evening.

Around 22,000 people created a real atmosphere for the flagship match at Wembley Stadium, which was also attended by officials and dignitaries – including Prince William in his role as president of the FA.

Supporters …