Thomas Tuchel dropped to his knees beating his fists repeatedly against the Wembley turf as he thought Chelsea’s moment of redemption had arrived amid the turbulence of this chaotic season.
The Chelsea manager had been braced for the worst as Sadio Mane stepped forward to take the penalty that would have won the FA Cup for Liverpool, but it was stopped by a brilliant save from Senegal team-mate Edouard Mendy.
Tuchel rose to his feet and punched the air – only to feel like he had been punched in the stomach moments later when Liverpool keeper Alisson saved Mason Mount’s penalty, leaving substitute Kostas Tsimikas to complete the formalities for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
Painful history was repeated for Chelsea. They stood toe-to-toe with Liverpool at Wembley, as they did in February’s EFL Cup final, only for penalties to separate the sides at their expense once more.
Tuchel’s head was bowed as he…
