James McArthur highlighted Jorginho as a key influence as Chelsea battled to overcome Crystal Palace in Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final.
After a cagey first-half in which Palace had the better chance – a Cheikou Kouyate volley that produced a brilliant reactionary save from Edouard Mendy – Thomas Tuchel’s side grew into the game.
Former Palace loanee Ruben Loftus-Cheek opened the scoring with a deflected volley before Mason Mount sent Chelsea through to their third consecutive FA Cup final.
While Patrick Vieira deserves a huge amount of credit for a successful first season at Selhurst Park, his side failed to muster much of a challenge after the interval at Wembley, although the fact they were missing Conor Gallagher must be taken into account.
“I felt we were at it in the first-half,” McArthur told Palace TV.
“In the second-half they took control of the game and we found that difficult. We had a late flurry at the end of the game but we just couldn’t get back into it.
“We thought that the previous games, they hurt us a lot and those areas we tried to change. We nullified them, especially in the first-half. In the second-half, we didn’t get enough pressure on Jorginho especially and they dictated play.”
It is a quick-fire return to Premier League action for Palace, who travel to in-form Newcastle United on Wednesday, looking to cement their place in the top half.
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