Chelsea are back in action in the FA Cup this weekend, with them no doubt keen to return to former glories in a competition which has treated them very well in the past.
The Blues have won the oldest cup competition in English football eight times, a total only topped by Arsenal and Manchester United.
Chelsea made lightwork of lower-league opposition Morecambe in the last round at Stamford Bridge, a game now famed for Tosin Adarabioyo’s two long-range goals.
Their fourth-round outing will be far tougher though, with them making the trip to the south coast to take on Brighton on Saturday night.
Their last victory in the competition came in 2018 against Manchester United in the final, a game that proved to be Antonio Conte’s last in charge of Chelsea.
The Italian still had one more defensive masterclass left in him, although his squad selection on the day did raise some eyebrows.
Tiemoue Bakayoko started for Chelsea in 2018 FA Cup final win
Conte elected to start Tiemoue Bakayoko in central midfield ahead of Ross Barkley, putting faith in Cesc Fabregas, Eden Hazard and Olivier Giroud to be the attacking outlets.
The former Monaco man had come off the bench in the routine semi-final win over Southampton, however had played a combined 45 minutes in the three proceeding ties.
Nevertheless, he stepped up alongside N’golo Kante, and battled hard as the Blues won the midfield battle up against the likes of Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic.
| Tiemoue Bakayoko FA Cup final stats | Total |
| Minutes | 90 |
| Successful passes | 19 |
| Interceptions | 1 |
| Recoveries | 7 |
| Duels won | 4 |
While this could in another time have signified the start of a comeback for the Frenchman at Stamford Bridge, it turned out to be his final ever Chelsea appearance.
Bakayoko moved on loan four times before he finally left the Blues permanently in 2023. He currently plays for PAOK Salonika.
Bakayoko’s ‘nightmare’ Chelsea appearance
It had certainly not been an easy first campaign for the Frenchman at Stamford Bridge since his £40m move. His 30 minute display against Watford a few months earlier is looked at as one of the worst in Chelsea history, and described by Sky Sports as a ‘nightmare’
Jamie Carragher was stunned at how bad the midfielder was that evening, saying to Sky Sports: “It feels like they have targeted Bakayoko.
“He has been so poor. That first 30 minutes is one of the worst performances you will see from a player this season.”
This was unfortunately the story of his time at Chelsea after a bright start where he looked the answer to their efforts to find the perfect partner for Kante.
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