LONDON: Manchester City’s quadruple dream has been extinguished by Chelsea. Even more concerning could be the injury to Kevin De Bruyne for the ongoing pursuit of a treble.

Chelsea will be back at Wembley Stadium next month for the FA Cup final after a 1-0 victory over City was clinched by Hakim Ziyech on Saturday.

Pep Guardiola will return even sooner next Sunday with City for the League Cup final but with doubts over whether De Bruyne will be fit to face Tottenham Hotspur.

“It doesn’t look quite good,” Guardiola said.

The influential Belgian playmaker hobbled off with an apparent ankle injury just as City are entering a crunch period of the season.

A 11-point Premier League lead makes collecting that trophy a near-certainty but there is also a first Champions League semi-final with City for Guardiola against Paris St Germain in what remains the priority title for the club.

“We started the game a little bit slow and struggled a bit in the first half,” City midfielder Fernandinho said.

While Guardiola has been in charge almost five years at City, Thomas Tuchel has only been at Chelsea three months.

After picking up the pieces following the firing of Frank Lampard, the German now has a shot at a trophy in the FA Cup final against Leicester City or Southampton next month. And like City, Chelsea remain in Champions League contention with Real Madrid awaiting in the last four.

“All the ways are still open, everybody is excited by it,” Ziyech said. “And we cannot wait to play these games.”

The performance against City will offer Tuchel encouragement of silverware. While Timo Werner struggles for goals, assists are less of a problem. It was his 12th of his first season at Chelsea, setting up Ziyech for the close-range finish in the 55th minute in an unguarded net after American goalkeeper Zack Steffen was left stranded.

“You always have to have the feeling before the game that you want to score,” the Morocco winger — who has struggled to find his form after arriving at Stamford Bridge from Ajax Amsterdam last year — said. “It was a good delivery and I put it in easy.”

There were no Chelsea fans to witness the goal in person. But they should be allowed back into Wembley for the May 15 final as coronavirus restrictions are eased.

“It was a very strong performance. I’m very happy and proud,” said Tuchel, who has lost just twice in 19 games since replacing Lampard in January. “We took the opportunity to show up on the highest level and see how we are. You can only win against City if you have everybody on the top level.”

SHEFFIELD UNITED RELEGATED

With six games remaining, the Premier League lost its first team on Saturday. Sheffield United experienced the joint-earliest relegation in the competition’s history, alongside Ipswich Town, Derby County and Huddersfield Town after losing 1-0 to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Last season both Wolves and Sheffield finished in the top half of the standings. Wolves have plummeted to 12th this campaign and Willian Jose’s goal confirmed the end of last-place United’s two-season stay in the top division.

January signing Jose has struggled to replace Mexico forward Raul Jimenez, who has missed most of the campaign due to a fractured skull, but finally got his first Wolves goal by sweeping home Adama Traore’s cross on the hour mark.

“We are now starting from a better position, financially stronger and with much more experience in the squad,” said caretaker United boss Paul Heckingbottom. “Everyone will be committed to going straight back up.

“It’s everyone’s careers at stake, personal pride. They have to take control of their own performances. The fight and spirit is there, we have just been short. There has been a lot of hurt in the dressing room for a long time.”

Victory takes Nuno Espirito Santo’s men beyond the 40-point mark as they are now safe from the drop.

By contrast, Sheffield now face a rebuild in the Championship with the club in crisis on and off the field.

Sheffield announced on Saturday that Saudi chairman Prince Musaad Bin Khalid Al Saud has resigned for personal reasons.

Last month, Chris Wilder left as manager after five years in the job, during which he guided them from League One to the top-flight.

Published in Dawn, April 19th, 2021