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Nemanja Matic monster blast from distance clinches Chelsea's FA Cup semifinal win over Tottenham

Joe Lago
Nemanja Matic
Matic’s screamer was the exclamation mark on the Blues’ big win. (Reuters)

If it’s a game at Wembley, it must be big (outside of the pointless England friendly). And so Saturday’s outcome on that hallowed ground – a 4-2 victory by Chelsea over Tottenham Hotspur in an entertaining FA Cup semifinal – was the headline. Eden Hazard’s 75th-minute strike won it for the Blues, who earned a return trip to Wembley for the May 27 final against the winner of Sunday’s semifinal between Arsenal and Manchester City.

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But the must-see moment wasn’t Hazard’s match-winner or Dele Alli’s exquisite equalizer from a superb ball by Christian Eriksen. The highlight of the game came from Nemanja Matic, the Chelsea defensive midfielder who had not scored all season until he hammered home the clinching goal in the 80th minute. And he did so in jaw-dropping fashion.

The layoff from Hazard, who made an immediate impact after coming on as a 61st-minute substitute for Willian (first-half brace), gave Matic plenty of time and space to line up the shot. But for him to produce that type of world-class strike was completely surprising. Outright shock was the proper response, and it prompted one broadcaster to punctuate his reaction with profanity.

Check it out (the video is not suitable for kids):

So how will this result impact the Premier League title race? It shouldn’t affect Tottenham at all in its pursuit of Chelsea, which is clinging to a four-point lead over Spurs with six games remaining. Mauricio Pochettino’s side has looked like the best team in England while winning seven straight to close the gap on the Blues. And the best Tottenham team of the Premiership era certainly has a great chance to catch Chelsea and win the club’s first top-flight title since 1961.

The only thing that changed was the number of options left for silverware. Antonio Conte and the Blues kept their hopes alive of doing the double. That, and Nemanja Matic is no longer goal-less for the 2016-17 season.