New Blues show signs of promise

This was probably the moment when everything finally caught up with Chelsea FC; all the fixture congestion, the off-field trauma, the sackings, the negative headlines, all the energy-sapping distractions that have made Rafa Benitez’s job almost impossible; but even so you have to say, in true Chelsea style, they made a fight of it.

Benitez had hoped to end his controversial six-month spell in charge at Stamford Bridge with two trophies; and as recently as last Friday he was talking in glowing terms about the legacy he would leave for the man who follows him.

There were times at Wembley in the first half when those words looked a farce — City were simply too strong, too clever and too quick for his ‘new’ Chelsea that took the field without Frank Lampard, John Terry or Ashley Cole — and of course without Didier Drogba, the man who normally wins these occasions for Roman Abramovich’s side.

In those early stages, in which Samir Nasri deservedly put City ahead, Chelsea looked physically and mentally tired; and they looked a long way short of a City team who are also seven points ahead of them in the Premier League.

But in the end the fighting spirit and burst of energy Benitez was able to get from his players in a thrilling last 30 minutes makes negative analysis far more difficult.

As good as City were in the opening stages, Chelsea — despite having played so many games and despite a long trip to Moscow this week in the Europa League — were vibrant after the break and unfortunate in the end not to add to Demba Ba’s goal that certainly made Roberto Mancini’s side sweat; especially when Fernando Torres was unfortunate not to win a late penalty.

The positives for the Chelsea owner are that at the end of a transition year Eden Hazard — who shone all match and came so close to setting up an equaliser for Ba — has huge potential while Juan Mata is right up there as one of the best players in the Premier League. Ramires has the energy to cover for all of them and Ba, while not a replacement for Drogba, is certainly capable of finishes that remind you at times of the great man.

On the other side of the coin, Chelsea’s defence of Azpilicueta, David Luiz, Ivanovic and Bertrand looks weak without Terry — they completely lost sight of Sergio Aguero when he scored a looping header for 2-0 — and the midfield at times incohesive without Lampard; so when it finally dawned on Chelsea fans that their defence of the FA Cup was over — after seven FA Cup wins in a row at the new Wembley — it still felt like the end of an era.

The axis of Terry-Cole-Lampard-Drogba is almost gone and Benitez will be gone soon enough too; but if Chelsea fans can really look into their hearts and justify cheering that fact then you have to wonder if they are fooling themselves, as all the evidence seems to be that he is getting the best out of his squad despite the lack of support from the terraces and despite no longer being able to rely on the superstars who anchored Chelsea’s success for so many years.

Next year, whoever replaces the Spaniard will have to cope even more often without Terry and possibly without Lampard at all; and who knows if they will be able to bring the best out of Torres, as Benitez has done in recent weeks.

So as tempting as it is to put this FA Cup defeat down as another nail in Benitez’s coffin (which in truth was slammed shut a long time ago), just for once the sport of Rafa-baiting should be postponed.

It can be re-started of course if Chelsea fail to finish in the top four in the Premier League and fail to lift the Europa League trophy next month; but even though their love affair with Wembley is over there was enough in this match to suggest the Chelsea brand is still alive.