Thomas Tuchel is no fool. He knows the Manchester City team who Chelsea defeated on Saturday were a shadow of the one he will face on May 29. The one he eliminated in last month’s FA Cup semi-final were little better, either.
Yet beat them he did. And as a coach Tuchel knows that matters, too.
It is hardly a shock that it was Liverpool who came for City after back-to-back title victories. Between August 25, 2014, and January 3, 2019, City played Liverpool 11 times and won once — when Liverpool went down to 10 men after 37 minutes.