Youri Tielemans struck a sensational winner to clinch Leicester City their first FA Cup in a 1-0 victory over Chelsea on Sunday, in front of 21,000 fans at Wembley – with Ben Chilwell’s 89th-minute effort ruled out by VAR for offside.
It was the biggest gathering of supporters inside a stadium since the coronavirus pandemic began – and they were treated to incredible drama in the 140th FA Cup final.
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Leicester fans had the perfect view as Tielemans fired a brilliant shot into the top corner of the goal at their end on 63 minutes. It was a goal worthy of winning any final and capped a superb performance from the Belgian.
It had been a game of few clear chances up until that point but Kasper Schmeichel was then forced into two fantastic saves at the other end, pushing a Chilwell header onto the post and then pulling off another wonderful stop to deny Mason Mount, as Chelsea desperately searched for a response.
Former Leicester defender Chilwell thought he’d done just that, when Caglar Soyuncu’s clearance went in off him, but VAR rightly spotted the Chelsea man had strayed marginally offside in the build-up.
Leicester, who lost key defender Jonny Evans to injury midway through the first half, held on and, 52 years after their last appearance in a FA Cup final, were able to hold the trophy aloft for the first time, adding another remarkable chapter to their story, following their 2015/16 Premier League triumph.
