Man City vs Chelsea LIVE: FA Cup semi-final result, final score and reaction as Bernardo Silva wins thriller

Pep Guardiola has called on his Manchester City side to respond to midweek disappointment as they look to book their place in the FA Cup final.

“We don’t have an option, we don’t want to feel sorry for ourselves,” he said. “We performed at our best [against Real Madrid] but were not able to win.

“We don’t have time to reflect, we’ll do that in the summertime. In football you compete to win, but sometimes you lose games, and that’s what happened.”

It was an argument straight from the playground. Even as Chelsea cruised to their best win of the season, Mauricio Pochettino’s side somehow found a way to remind everyone of how far there is to go before this young team can be taken seriously. “If they behave like kids, it’s impossible,” sighed Pochettino, unable to hide his frustration.

Immature? A team of individuals? An absence of leadership on the pitch? Chelsea have been accused of all of the above and more this season – and so a very public falling out over a second-half penalty at Stamford Bridge showed exactly what Pochettino is up against in his own dressing room. Cole Palmer, Chelsea’s star player and a contender now for footballer of the year, is the club’s designated penalty taker, yet the actions of Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson in attempting to claim the penalty for themselves not only overshadowed a brilliant 6-0 win over Everton but threatened to undermine their manager’s authority.

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino was left “so upset” after his players argued over penalty-taking duties during the 6-0 win over Everton on Monday night, in scenes he branded “unacceptable”.

Chelsea were four goals up - with Cole Palmer scoring a first-half hat-trick at Stamford Bridge- when Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke sparked the unsavoury incidents as they started pushing and shoving over who should take the penalty.

Today’s FA Cup semi-final could be decided by penalties and Pochettino said: “We were talking a lot this week because we were practising penalties. I think it’s clear. I made clear after the game. We had a meeting with the players and staff and they were involved also the sporting director.

“I explained my feelings and in the future it cannot happen like this. The message was clear and now we need to move. They are clever and understand the situation. In another way it’s good that a player wants to take responsibility for a penalty, show the character and personality of the team and the players.

“But they need to respect discipline and the rules which are so important. The way they wanted to do things was in a very wrong way. It’s important for them to learn and for us to apply common sense and act in a different way in the future. Now all is clear we need to move on.”

The man sometimes described as football’s greatest manager considered a result that could lead to Carlo Ancelotti winning a fifth Champions League, while his own tally will remain a mere three. “In other sports, we would have won with those statistics,” said Pep Guardiola. Manchester City had 32 shots to Real Madrid’s eight. Real scored four penalties to City’s three. Barcelona’s most successful coach quoted his mentor. “Johan Cruyff said luck doesn’t exist and I agree with him.”

There is, though, a case that fortune did not favour City: eliminated on penalties after 210 minutes of drama, they could reflect upon Real’s two deflected goals in the Bernabeu, the illness that made Kevin De Bruyne a late withdrawal in the Spanish capital, the moment when Erling Haaland hit the bar in Manchester, when the Belgian blazed over as he seemed set to cap a tour de force with a decider. There was Bernardo Silva’s misguided decision to try and chip Andriy Lunin from 12 yards; “it happens,” said a forgiving Guardiola. They were fine margins and this could have been another season of continental superiority. Indeed Ruben Dias, scarcely the most outspoken of footballers, said City “dominated the whole game” against Real.

Cole Palmer took his Chelsea tally to 20 goals in the Premier League with another hat-trick on Monday night, scoring four at Stamford Bridge.

“He has been sensational and there is an argument he could be Player of the Year – that’s how good he has been,” said former Chelsea star Joe Cole, who said Palmer simply has to be in England’s Euros squad this summer.

“You have to bring a player of that quality. The technicians are what are going to win us the tournament. They all have to go and they all have to have time on the pitch.

“Palmer is a top player. I have watched him play and he is a top, top player.

“Cole Palmer is an absolute genius.”

Since losing the League Cup final to Manchester City on penalties, Chelsea have lost six finals in a row at Wembley - although they have won all three of their FA Cup semi-finals during that time.

2020: 3-1 vs Manchester United

2021: 1-0 vs Manchester City

2022: 2-0 vs Crystal Palace

Pep Guardiola’s side lost three FA Cup semi-finals in a row between 2020 and 2022 - but they won the FA Cup on both occasions they reahed the final under Guardiola (2019 and 2023).

2019: 1-0 vs Brighton

2020: 0-2 vs Arsenal

2021: 0-1 vs Chelsea

2022: 2-3 vs Liverpool

2023: 3-0 vs Sheffield United

Manchester City and Chelsea both have unwanted records that they’ll want to improve today.

Man City have won just two of their last six FA Cup semi-finals, while Chelsea have just have lost their last six finals at Wembley. Even though today is a semi-final, there is talk of a Wembley curse among the Blues...

Manchester City XI: Ortega; Lewis, Stones, Dias, Ake; Rodri; Foden, Silva, De Bruyne, Doku; Alvarez.

Chelsea XI: Petrovic; Gusto, Disasi, Silva, Chilwell; Fernandez, Caicedo, Gallagher; Palmer, Jackson, Sterling.

Raheem Sterling, Enzo Fernandez and Axel Disasi are available after missing the 6-0 win over Everton, while Christopher Nkunku is back in “partial training”. Chelsea remain without Levi Colwill, Reece James and Wesley Fofana.