Football: David de Gea's position uncertain after errors put Chelsea in FA Cup final

LONDON (REUTERS) - Chelsea beat Manchester United 3-1 on Sunday (July 19) to book their place in an all-London FA Cup final, helped by two errors from United goalkeeper David de Gea and an own goal by Harry Maguire.

Chelsea, who will face city rivals Arsenal in the Aug. 1 showpiece, had lost to United three times this season but looked brighter from the start at Wembley and took control with goals either side of halftime from Olivier Giroud and Mason Mount.

"He knows he should save that 100 times out of 100 but that's football for you," Solskjaer said.

"I can't speak for David De Gea's confidence but he is mentally very strong. I made the decision to play him and mentally he was ready for it."

Asked if De Gea would be replaced by Sergio Romero when United return to action against West Ham in Wednesday's crucial Premier League clash, Solskjaer would not rule out dropping his star.

"Obviously, everyone has to perform. Everyone has a chance every time we perform to stake a claim in the team," he said.

"David knows he should have saved the second goal, but that's done now and we have to look forward to Wednesday.

"It's hard for a keeper to make amends. David showed his character in the rest of the game with a few good saves."

United were forced into a change at 0-0 late in the first half when Eric Bailly was carried off after clashing heads with fellow defender Maguire. United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer brought on Anthony Martial to create more attacking threat.

But it was Chelsea who took the lead 11 minutes into first-half stoppage time when Giroud flicked a cross by Cesar Azpilicueta at De Gea who failed to get enough of a hand on the ball to stop it spinning over the line.

Chelsea doubled the lead a minute after the restart when Mason Mount pounced on a poor pass by Brandon Williams to shoot from the edge of the box. It looked like De Gea would make a comfortable save but he could only steer the ball into the net.

United struggled to create any chances to narrow the deficit and Chelsea sealed the win when Maguire, under pressure from Antonio Rudiger, connected with a cross from Marcos Alonso with his studs and diverted the ball past the hapless De Gea.

United scored a consolation goal when Bruno Fernandes converted a penalty in the 85th minute.

While the spotlight was on De Gea, Chelsea were by far the better team as they reached the FA Cup final for the first time since they last lifted the trophy in 2018.

United had beaten Chelsea three times this season, but Blues manager Frank Lampard had the last laugh.

"To win a semi is a great thing, but to win a final is the thing," Lampard said.

"We don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves but we can certainly enjoy the performance and the result.

"It is obviously right up there because of the size of the game and quality of the opponent."