Sports

Adell, Angels dispute controversial review in loss to Orioles

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A sparse afternoon crowd at Angel Stadium gathered enough voices to produce a surprisingly loud “safe” chant as Wednesday’s contest neared its conclusion, hoping to prolong a game that still seemed undecided. The news, relayed from home-plate umpire Hunter Barksdale, disappointed them:

Replay review of an initial out call on Jo Adell’s attempted steal of second base, which would have put the tying run in scoring position with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, was not overturned.

The Los Angeles Angels’ late comeback hopes had fallen just short. They absorbed a 6-5 loss to the visiting Baltimore Orioles, their sixth defeat in seven games. And afterward they lamented what could have been.

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“I was in there,” Adell said. “That call goes our way, we have [Luis] Rengifo up with a runner on second and we’re ready to tie the game.”

The Angels, seeking their first series victory since the start of April, trailed 6-0 midway through the sixth but had cut their deficit to two by the time Orioles closer Craig Kimbrel took the mound for the ninth inning. A two-base error and run-scoring groundout made it a one-run game with two outs, then Adell worked a full-count walk and took off for second on the ensuing pitch from Kimbrel, who is notoriously slow to the plate.

At least one camera angle appeared to show Adell’s right foot touching the edge of second base before Henderson’s glove touched the top of his right leg, but second-base umpire Nic Lentz called him out.

The Angels challenged the call, triggering a long delay.

“We’re all looking at the picture, we’re watching the video,” Adell said. “Where my foot hit and where I got tagged were two totally different spots.”

But the umpire reviewing replay at Major League Baseball’s headquarters in Manhattan, New York — in this case Carlos Torres — disagreed. He ruled that the call “stands,” which means there was not enough evidence to overturn it.

“After viewing all relevant angles, the replay official could not definitively determine that the runner touched second base prior to the fielder applying the tag,” read an MLB statement from its replay center.

Angels manager Ron Washington said he was “very surprised” by the call.

Mike Trout, who hit his major league-leading 10th home run while hitting leadoff for the second consecutive day, echoed those sentiments.

“I thought he was safe,” he said, “but obviously New York didn’t think so.”

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Tennis

Rafael Nadal not ready to commit to French Open

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Rafael Nadal stated he is not sure if he will be able to play at next month’s French Open as he continues to deal with pain in his comeback from injury.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion stated Wednesday that he is far from being in top form and that he is playing versus American Darwin Blanch in the first round of the Madrid Open on Thursday as a personal sacrifice.

“If I was in Paris today, I wouldn’t go out to play,” Nadal, 37, said at a news conference in reference to Roland Garros. “I don’t think I’ll be able to play at 100%, but it’s important to be able to play for the last time in Madrid. It means a lot to me to play on this court where I’ve had some great moments.

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“This doesn’t mean I’m giving up on anything in the next few weeks. I don’t know what might happen. Without trying to confuse anyone, I don’t know what’s going to happen in the next three weeks.”

Nadal has long struggled with injuries and has played just five competitive matches this year, three in Brisbane in January and two in Barcelona last week.

He has previously signaled that 2024 may be his final year on tour.

“I’m going to do the things I have to do to be able to play in Paris. And if I can, I can, and if I can’t, I can’t,” said Nadal, a 14-time French Open champion. “I’m going to Paris if I feel like I’m good enough. … I’m going to Paris if I feel capable enough to compete.”

Nadal is a record five-time champion in Madrid, with his last title in the Spanish capital coming in 2017.

“The goal is be on court. Enjoy as long as possible,” he said. “I mean, that’s the thing. Try to finish the tournament alive in terms of body issues and enjoy the fact that I will be able to compete one more time in the professional tour and here at home in Madrid, a place that give me everything, no, in terms of support.”

He stated he is giving himself “a chance” and hopes to “find better feelings” in his body going forward.

“I don’t lose hope. I just accept the situation that I have today,” Nadal said. “I mean, I am not playing bad. It’s about more body limitations.”

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NBA

Luka Doncic’s defensive effort keys Mavs’ Game 2 win vs. Clips

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The Dallas Mavericks’ series-tying 96-93 victory over the LA Clippers in Tuesday’s Game 2 featured a couple of typical Luka Doncic moments down the stretch, displays of his extraordinary skill and intense passion.

Doncic swished a pair of critical step-back 3s from the top of the arc in the fourth quarter, punctuating both by looking toward the stands and shouting in exhilaration. The first, which was contested by Kawhi Leonard, gave the Mavericks the lead for good with 7:03 left. The second, which was over James Harden, served as a dagger with 1:26 left.

Doncic concluded with 32 points and 9 assists, numbers near his norms, but he might have been more impactful on the other end of the floor.

Considered a defensive liability at times in his career, Doncic spearheaded the Mavericks’ smothering effort Tuesday night versus the Clippers, who shot 36.8% from the floor, their lowest field goal percentage of the season.

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“I think his defense has been great this whole series,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “We know they’re going to put him in pick-and-roll. A couple years ago we saw this, and we had to tell him to participate. But I think he’s participating at a high level on both ends. He’s leading not just on the offensive end but also the defensive end.”

According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Clippers shot 2-of-17 from the floor when Doncic was the primary defender. The Clippers missed all 11 shots that Doncic contested, the second-most field goal attempts contested without allowing a make in a playoff game over the past five years.

“I accept it,” Doncic said regarding the Clippers’ strategy of attempting to attack him as often as possible. “It gets me going on defensive end too. That’s fine. I think I played good defense today. I’ve just got to stay locked in.”

Harden, who had 28 points in the Clippers’ Game 1 win, was the player who Doncic defended the most often in Game 2.

He was 1-of-5 from the floor when guarded by Doncic, who played 46 minutes.

Doncic has taken pride in improving as an individual defender this season, particularly when he is on the ball. According to Synergy tracking, Doncic allowed only 0.76 points per possession as an isolation defender, which ranks in the 83rd percentile in the league.

Dallas’ defensive turnaround keyed the team’s strong finish. The Mavericks ranked as the NBA’s top-rated team in defensive efficiency in the final 20 games of the season, when Dallas went on a 16-2 run before resting Doncic and co-star Kyrie Irving in the final two games of the regular season.

Kidd described the physical style of the Mavericks’ series with the Clippers as “’90s basketball at its best,” and Doncic set the tone defensively in the first half.

The Clippers went 1-of-12 from the floor in the first half when Doncic was the primary defender, missing all eight shots he contested.

“When he gets his stops like this and pushes it, it’s even more fun for us because we already know what he does on offense,” said Mavericks center/power forward Maxi Kleber, who hit a clutch 3 off one of Doncic’s four assists in the fourth quarter.

“It spreads to everybody else. He’s bringing the energy, and he’s going to set the tone for us. And when he does stuff like that, it gives everybody juice.”

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Sports

Horner insists Verstappen not making Formula One ‘boring’

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Red Bull boss Christian Horner rejected suggestions Max Verstappen has made Formula One boring after the triple world champion took his domination to new heights in China over the weekend.

Verstappen’s maiden victory in Shanghai was his fourth of the season and sent him 25 points clear of Mexican teammate Sergio Perez after five races. He also started all five from pole position.

The 26-year-old has now won half of all the races held since Formula One last raced in China, in April 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic.

McLaren’s Lando Norris, the runner-up Sunday, told reporters earlier that the sport was witnessing a greater dominance than ever before.

“The only exciting races have been the ones that Max is not in,” Norris said.

“If you see the same driver winning every single time without a fight then of course it does start to become boring and that is obvious.”

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Horner stated Verstappen’s performances needed to be appreciated.

“Max is a special talent and it’s a golden moment for him,” Horner told reporters.

“As we’ve seen with every single driver it doesn’t last forever and I think it’s enjoying the moment, being in the moment and there’s no guarantees that we’ll be able to give him a car like this every year for the next five years.

“It’s doing what you can, while you can. He’s just like a metronome. The pace that he showed last year, he’s just continued that through.

“Since the last Chinese Grand Prix, he’s won 50% of all the races. He’s won 21 of the last 23 races. He’s in fantastic form, at one with the car and at one with the team and enjoying his racing.”

Horner, whose team also won four consecutive titles with Sebastian Vettel from 2010 to 2013, said there was “no ambiguity” about where Verstappen would be racing in 2025, referencing public overtures by Mercedes boss Toto Wolff despite the champion having a contract until 2028.

Mercedes were dominant from 2014 to 2020 and have a vacancy for 2025, with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton switching to Ferrari — who had a similar golden era with Michael Schumacher in the early 2000s.

“I think sometimes it’s just designed to create noise,” said Horner of Wolff’s comments.

“We’ve moved today ahead of the amount of races Mercedes have won in the modern era. The team’s in form, why on earth would you want to leave this team?

“[Wolff’s] time would be better spent perhaps focusing on the team rather than the driver market. Have you heard George Russell is out of contract at the end of 2025? Maybe he might not be so keen to stay in ’26. The market moves around.”

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Sports

Bengals re-sign QB Jake Browning to 2-year contract

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Jake Browning’s reward for a strong 2023 season is a new deal with the Cincinnati Bengals.

The team’s backup quarterback signed a two-year contract with Cincinnati that runs through 2025, the team revealed Tuesday. The terms of the deal were not immediately available.

Browning, who entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2019, is coming off his best season in the NFL. After starting quarterback Joe Burrow suffered a season-ending wrist injury in Week 11 of the 2023 season, Browning stepped in.

He started the final seven matches and finished the season by completing 70.3% of his passes for 1,936 yards, 12 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.

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The former Washington standout had been on the Bengals’ practice squad since 2021.

Coming into the 2023 season, Browning won the backup job over Trevor Siemian.

Browning was able to steady Cincinnati’s offense after Burrow’s injury and keep the Bengals in the playoff chase until a Week 17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs eliminated them from postseason contention.

Also Tuesday, Cincinnati solidified its quarterback room by signing Logan Woodside to a one-year contract. Woodside was with the Atlanta Falcons the past two seasons and was previously with the Tennessee Titans from 2020 to 2021.

This is Woodside’s second stint with the Bengals. Cincinnati drafted him with a seventh-round pick in 2018 but waived him before the start of the season.

Both Browning and Woodside are currently slotted behind Burrow on the depth chart. Ahead of this week’s draft, Bengals director of college scouting Mike Potts indicated any potential selections of a quarterback wouldn’t occur until the later rounds.

“We’re fortunate to not be in that market, at least high in the draft,” Potts said.

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Sports

Chelsea boss Pochettino admits players ‘gave up’ in Arsenal loss

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Mauricio Pochettino accepted Chelsea “gave up” in Tuesday’s 5-0 thrashing at Arsenal, but sought to defend his players by insisting some of the game’s greats had similar off days.

Leandro Trossard’s fourth-minute strike opened the scoring before four goals in 18 second-half minutes — two each from Ben White and Kai Havertz — condemned the Blues to their heaviest defeat in a London derby since March 1986.

“We talked at half-time about how it is not possible to start the game like this,” Pochettino stated. “But we started [the second half] in a bad way again. We conceded two goals and in this moment, the team gave up. We were not in the game.”

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Asked whether that capitulation made him question the character of some of his players, Pochettino continued: “No, it is not the character.

“I played football and I was in some similar situations with big players, experienced players. I played with [Diego] Maradona, I played with Ronaldinho, I played with [Gabriel] Batistuta. In some part of the season, these type of things can happen and you say ‘yes, these guys that were at the top, give up.’

“Sometimes because of the opponent, because of our energy, because nothing is for you in this situation and you cannot find anything positive during the game and this type of thing happens. It will happen for sure with different teams.”

While Arsenal moved four points clear of Manchester City at the top of table having played two games more — with Liverpool sandwiched between them in second place — Chelsea face a scramble to qualify for Europe after suffering their 11th defeat of the season.

“We are capable of having an amazing performance and three days after, we show the extremes,” Pochettino added. “Our standards are not sustained for the bad days. When we have bad days, we are so bad. When we are good, we are capable of everything. It is another thing we need to be aware that we need to increase for the future.”

Arteta had previously described Pochettino as a “father figure” dating back to their time together as players at Paris Saint-Germain

 Arteta said: “[I have] all the sympathy in the world, with everything that he’s been through and everything that he’s been doing. He knows that.

“I’ve been on the other side as well. He’s doing a great job, I think when you look at this team and analyse every second of them, they deserve to win many matches, they deserve to win against big teams.

“He’s doing a really good job so hopefully things will turn around and be as he deserves.”

Chelsea are away to Aston Villa on Saturday, while Arsenal play north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday. “We have to do our job. Now we have to wait and see [for Liverpool and Manchester City’s results),” Arteta said. “We have a lot of games coming up. Let’s enjoy tonight and let’s go back to work.”

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NBA

Brooklyn Nets officially hire Jordi Fernandez as head coach

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Jordi Fernandez was hired Monday as coach of the Brooklyn Nets, who are looking to bounce back after missing the playoffs for the first time in six years.

“I am truly grateful to lead the Nets as head coach,” Fernandez said in a statement. “… I am eager to get to work with this talented group of players and collectively drive our team forward.”

The Nets concluded 32-50 and fired Jacque Vaughn at the All-Star break. Kevin Ollie finished out the season as the interim coach.

“As we progressed through an extensive search over the past six weeks, it became increasingly clear that Jordi is the best coach to lead our team forward,” general manager Sean Marks said in a statement.

“Jordi brings a diverse set of experiences and basketball knowledge gained over the course of a coaching career that has taken him around the world. Each step of the way, Jordi has consistently demonstrated the ability to implement strong processes and creative systems designed to optimize each team’s specific roster.”

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Fernandez, who becomes the franchise’s 24th coach, spent the past two seasons as associate head coach of the Sacramento Kings, helping them reach the playoffs last year for the first time since 2006.

The native of Badalona, Spain, also coaches Canada’s men’s national team.

He led the country to a bronze medal last year in the Basketball World Cup.

The Nets made five consecutive playoff appearances from 2019 to 2023, yet have not been able to stick with a coach despite those results. After Kenny Atkinson was replaced during the 2019-20 season, Steve Nash and Vaughn both had short stays as head coach, with Vaughn and Ollie also serving interim stints.

Fernandez spent six seasons as an assistant with the Denver Nuggets before moving to Sacramento. He also led the Canton Charge to consecutive appearances in the NBA G League Eastern Conference finals.

Fernandez has also been an assistant coach for both the Spanish and Nigerian national teams.

Now he takes over a Nets team that fired Vaughn just a year after giving him a contract extension. They went 11-17 under Ollie, focusing on their young players down the stretch after falling out of playoff contention.

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Tennis

Simona Halep withdraws from Madrid Open

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Simona Halep has pulled out of next week’s Madrid Open to work on her fitness, saying she needs more time get physically ready to compete at the highest level after being out of action for over 18 months.

The former Wimbledon and French Open champion had her four-year doping ban cut to nine months in March and made her return as a wild card at the Miami Open, where she fell in the first round to Paula Badosa.

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“Unfortunately my body needs a little more time to be ready and I have made the tough decision not to play in Madrid,” she wrote on X. “Tough because I want to be back on tour asap, but experience tells me not to rush. Thank you to @MutuaMadridOpen who offered me the wild card and to my fans.”

The former world No. 1 was suspended in October 2022.

Halep was suspended after testing positive at the US Open for roxadustat, a banned drug that stimulates the production of red blood cells.

The 32-year-old was charged with another offense last year because of irregularities in her athlete biological passport, a tool designed to monitor different blood parameters over time to reveal potential doping.

But Halep, who denied any wrongdoing, was permitted to return to action after the Court of Arbitration for Sport cut her ban to nine months after accepting the Romanian’s explanation that a contaminated supplement was to blame for her positive test.

Halep was inside the top 10 when she was suspended but has since seen her ranking plummet to No. 1,146.

The WTA has started a review of its rules that could see players cleared of doping offenses or having their bans reduced return to the circuit with “special rankings” in the future, the governing body told Reuters last month.

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MLB

Yankees’ Aaron Boone ejected five pitches into game vs. Athletics

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The New York Yankees and Oakland Athletics opened their four-game series with a rare Monday matinee at Yankee Stadium, and manager Aaron Boone was in the dugout for all of one batter during a 2-0 loss.

The Yankees manager was ejected five pitches into the game by home-plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt in an unusual sequence caught on the television broadcast.

It started when Athletics leadoff hitter Esteury Ruiz was hit by a pitch on an 0-2 count; the pitch clearly plunked Ruiz on the foot, but the Yankees’ dugout thought Ruiz swung at it. As a result, Boone communicated his disapproval — until Wendelstedt replied.

“You’re not yelling at me,” Wendelstedt yelled at Boone, clear as day on the broadcast. “I did what I was supposed to do and checked. I’m looking for him to get hit by the pitch. You got anything else to say, you’re gone.”

One pitch later, Boone was ejected.

Wendelstedt gave Boone the hook after hearing someone’s objection from the direction of the Yankees’ dugout. The YES television broadcast had its camera on Boone, who was looking away and not saying anything.

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Boone sprinted out to protest to Wendelstedt, insisting that a fan behind the dugout — not him or another Yankee — spoke up.

“You’re done!” Wendelstedt said. “I don’t care who said it. You’re gone!”

“What do you mean you don’t care?” Boone screamed as he rushed out onto the field. “I did not say a word. It was up above our dugout. Bulls—! Bulls—! I didn’t say anything. I did not say anything, Hunter. I did not say a f—ing thing.”

The broadcast then hushed the audio on the broadcast as Boone continued to argue, as his animated protest went for naught.

Boone watched the remainder of the match on television while bench coach Brad Ausmus took over as acting manager in the dugout.

After the game, Boone, still stupefied, again emphasized that someone behind the dugout had said something that derided Wendelstedt.

“It’s embarrassing,” Boone said.

Wendelstedt hadn’t yet seen a replay of the episode when he spoke to a pool reporter after the game. He explained he thought the “cheap shot” came from a player at the far end of the Yankees’ dugout.

“So instead of me being aggressive and walking down to the far end and trying to figure out who might have said it, I don’t want to eject a ballplayer,” said Wendelstedt, a major-league umpire since 1998. “We need to keep them in the game. That’s what the fans pay to see. Aaron Boone runs the Yankees. He got ejected.”

Boone stated he was more upset with first-base umpire John Tumpane’s ruling on appeal that Ruiz didn’t swing at the pitch. The manager stated his only issue with Wendelstedt was that he believed Wendelstedt could’ve ruled that Ruiz swung. When Wendelstedt responded with his reasoning, which concluded with warning of an ejection, Boone said he backed off.

“I was standing down and I heard, ‘You’re gone, Aaron,'” Boone said. “I couldn’t believe it.”

Boone stated he didn’t know what the fan shouted at Wendelstedt. He said he only heard somebody yell from that direction. He said he plans on reaching out to Major League Baseball about the situation.

“This isn’t my first ejection,” Wendelstedt said to the pool reporter. “In the entire of my career, I have never ejected a player or a manager for something a fan has said. I understand that’s going to be part of a story or something like that because that’s what Aaron was portraying. I heard something come from the end of the dugout, had nothing to do with his area. But he’s the manager of the Yankees. So, he’s the one that had to go.”

It wasn’t the earliest ejection in MLB history.

Baltimore manager Earl Weaver was ejected by Ron Luciano while exchanging lineup cards before the second game of a doubleheader against Texas on Aug. 15, 1975, still upset over a call that led to his getting tossed in the fourth inning of the opener.

Los Angeles Angels pitcher John Lackey was ejected by plate umpire Bob Davidson on May 15, 2009, after his first pitch of the season sailed behind Ian Kinsler and the next hit the Rangers’ leadoff hitter in the ribs.

Toronto hitting coach Guillermo Martínez was tossed by first base umpire Lance Barrett after exchanging the lineup card before a game versus the Chicago White Sox on June 22, 2022, a carryover from action the previous night.

It was Boone’s second ejection of the season. His 35 ejections since 2018 are the most in the majors among managers.

“I feel like I am treated fairly by umpires and have a good relationship with a lot of them,” Boone said. “I’m obviously a little more vocal and fiery than some, so I’m sure it gets some people perked up. But, overall, I feel like I’m treated fairly.”

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Sports

Man City looked tired, but they’re FA Cup finalists

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Even tired and disappointed, Manchester City can still find a way to win.

After their Champions League exit to Real Madrid on Wednesday, following 120 minutes and a penalty shootout, City turned up at Wembley three days later for an FA Cup semifinal on Saturday versus a Chelsea side fresh and in form.

Man City manager Pep Guardiola was furious that his team were asked to play in the Saturday semifinal instead of getting an extra day’s rest and playing on Sunday, but where lesser teams would have crumbled, City still found enough to win 1-0 and book a Wembley return for the final at the end of May.

It was nowhere near a vintage Guardiola performance, but he won’t care. City’s character and resilience was best summed up by Bernardo Silva, who scored the winner after missing a crucial penalty against Real Madrid. Silva is a softly-spoken, mild-mannered type of footballer and his miss in the shootout against Madrid will have hurt him perhaps more than it would have done others.

His goal in the 84th minute on Saturday was enough to see off Chelsea and, after being congratulated by his teammates he turned alone to the City fans behind the goal to defeat the badge on his chest. Few of his other 66 goals in a blue shirt will have meant more.

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Chelsea had so many possibilities to score that Guardiola spent most of the game crouched down with his head in his hands, but by the end was left celebrating what he insisted was one of the best performances of his eight years in charge.

“What they have done today is one of the greatest things I have seen from a group of players,” said Guardiola. “In terms of quality football and mistakes, it was not [good] but absolutely [it was one of his best performances]. In these conditions, travelling to play against Chelsea in their best moment of the season and done what we have done today? I don’t know how we survived.

“I said to them, ‘Don’t fight against your feelings.’ If you’re sad and disappointed it’s fine,” he added of immediately playing the FA Cup semifinal after their Champions League exit. “Don’t pretend to be happy all the time in life. I said to them ‘I’m sad. But once you’re here, do your best.’ And they did it.”

After eight minutes of stoppage time, Guardiola raced onto the pitch to embrace his players while Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino trudged off the Wembley pitch for a second time this season with a feeling of what might have been.

Pochettino’s future as Chelsea manager is set to be reviewed at the end of a season during which he was expected to achieve more than bounce around in mid-table. And if it turns out he needed to win the FA Cup to keep his job, it’s unlikely Nicolas Jackson will be at the top of his Christmas card list.

Before Silva’s intervention, the 22-year-old Jackson had three golden opportunities to put Chelsea in front and each one was fluffed. In the first half he was sent clear, rounded Stefan Ortega, and inexplicably stopped.

Then, in the second half, he got inside Kyle Walker and with a clear sight of goal saw his shot saved by Ortega. Moments later, Cole Palmer clipped a ball to the back post and Jackson’s weak header was beaten away by City’s goalkeeper.

As Jackson missed chance after chance, Pochettino watched on from the touchline with his arms out-stretched, seemingly disbelief. At the final whistle, Silva punched the air and ran towards the City fans while Jackson slumped to the floor and sat, motionless, for a few minutes.

Chelsea had more shots on target than City (five to three) but where Silva was clinical with their one clear chance, Chelsea were wasteful and then some.

Midway through the second half, Moises Caicedo raced through and, with Jackson unmarked in the centre, managed to punt his cross into the stands. And as if to sum up their entire afternoon, while they chased a late equalizer, Ben Chilwell escaped down the left and twice decided not to cross to Raheem Sterling before seeing a half-hearted cross easily intercepted by Ruben Dias.

Only Jurgen Klopp and Jose Mourinho have collected more matches against Guardiola than Pochettino and, although he got a lot of his tactical plan right, the finishing touch for Chelsea was always missing.

“I think in the game we were a little bit better and deserved more, but it is not about deserving it, it is about being clinical and we were not today,” said Pochettino, who also stated he thought Chelsea should have had a penalty when Palmer’s free-kick hit Jack Grealish’s hand.

“I think last Monday [against Everton] we scored six but today we were not capable of scoring even with having maybe more chances and more clear chances to score,” Pochettino added. “We were not capable of being clinical in front of goal, we had many chances but we did not score.”

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