Ederson Sends A Clear Message To Zack Steffen After FA Cup Howler

Written By Jacobs Dunga

The American international’s blunder gifted Liverpool their second goal and the chance to progress to the final in Wembley.

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Manchester City on Saturday saw their treble hopes quashed by Liverpool who ran out 3-2 winners at Wembley in the semi final of the FA Cup on Saturday.

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Liverpool raced into a 3-0 lead in the first half of the tie to all but put City in a difficult position heading into halftime, Ibrahima Konate’s opener was followed by a Sadio Mane brace to put Klopp’s men in the driving seat.

It was However Manchester City goalkeeper Zack Steffen who was playing in place of regular starter Ederson Moraes who gifted Liverpool their second of the game when a back pass to the American was held way too long in his feet to allow Mane pounce and deflect his intended clearance into goal to double Liverpool’s advantage.

City did score two in the second half but the damage had already been done with Liverpool maintaining their lead and qualifying for the finals at the expense of their rivals.

The 27 year old goalkeeper did tender an open apology after the game on Instagram. “Trials and tribulations, failures and successes. That’s life. Yesterday’s game is a tough pill to swallow, all we can do is get back up and grow from it. Thank you to all the fans who made the trip. We will work hard to make you guys proud. We move forward.”

It was on the post that Ederson replied where he appeared to be supporting his teammate who was apologetic for his blunder. “A mistake in football hurts, but a goalkeeper’s mistake hurts more. This is our life bro.”

Pep Guardiola had backed the goalkeeper while speaking after the game which showed their were not going to be an aftermath of the situation.

“It was an accident. One of the strong points is try to play [out] and as a keeper he has this quality. It was an accident and he will learn for the future. When the ball is there it can always happen. I have spoken with the team, not him personally, but he is strong.”

Meanwhile…

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has told Romelu Lukaku to be decisive from the bench as the striker continues to struggle for form at the Bridge.

The record signing from Inter Milan last summer has found it difficult to get going since his return to the Blues and his coach Thomas Tuchel before the match on Sunday obviously stated the striker was lacking in fitness following his return from a heel problem.

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“He’s not fit enough to play 90 minutes, not fit enough for the intensity of our game, it’s as easy as that,” Tuchel told ITV Sport. “He had an injury, he missed minutes, so his match fitness isn’t there, otherwise there’s a big chance he’d be playing today.”

Chelsea did see out Palace 2-0 to advance to the finals of the FA Cup but Lukaku again missed a golden opportunity to get his name on the scoresheet as he missed from close range.

Tuchel urged Lukaku to take his chances as he referenced his miss against Real Madrid in the first leg before the Belgian went on to squander another against Patrick Vieira’s men on Sunday after coming off the bench.

“For sure. He had a huge chance against Real Madrid [at home] and things can go so fast,” Tuchel said, referencing Lukaku’s costly miss against Real Madrid. “Nobody knows what this goal would have done for us if he had taken his chance with the late header in the first leg. It is exactly what he needs to do.

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