Crystal Palace player ratings after 2-0 FA Cup semi-final defeat to Chelsea

Crystal Palace’s FA Cup dreams are over for another season after a 2-0 semi-final defeat to Chelsea at Wembley.

The Eagles were undone by second-half strikes by former loanee Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mason Mount.

Here are Edmund Brack’s ratings for the Palace players:

Jack Butland – 6

Could not do much about the goal. Make a good stop to smother the ball at Timo Werner’s feet minutes before the opener. Was unable to stop Mason Mount from getting the second.

Joel Ward – 5

Made a mistake to give Chelsea a chance in the 20th minute. Heavy pass to kill a chance for Zaha in the 29th minute.

Joachim Andersen – 7

Lead the back three well in the opening stages and was not afraid to venture forward with the ball at his feet. Defensively, he was sound, but he should have brought Palace back into the game in the 77th minute with a free header at the back post.

Cheikhou Kouyate – 7

Had Palace’s best chance in the first half but was denied by a superb stop from Edouard Mendy. Looked comfortable in the back three.

Tyrick Mitchell – 5

Lost possession for Chelsea’s first goal. Did not offer a great deal going forward, but the five at the back formation could work in his favour in future games.

James McArthur – 6

Two crunching challenges in the first half to win possession back for the Eagles on the break. Harried and hustled but ran out of steam towards the end.

Jeffrey Schlupp – 6

Doing Conor Gallagher’s job in the absence of the Chelsea loanee, Schlupp was pressing the Chelsea defence alongside Mateta and Zaha. Could have done better with the chance just after half an hour gone to play Zaha through.

Eberechi Eze – 6

Did not have too much to do throughout the game. Showed for the ball and looked to move it forward, but failed to make a significant impact. Still working his way back from injury, and the big stage might have just been too soon for him.

Wilfried Zaha – 7

Linked up well in the first half, but was unfortunate not to latch on to Joel Ward’s heavy pass. Played a nice ball through to Mateta. Led the line well in the second 45 minutes, but was missing a presence to support him.

Jean-Philippe Mateta – 6

Hard to give him anymore due to the amount of game time he had. Chased down every ball aimed towards him. Linked up well with Zaha during the first half.

Jordan Ayew – 5

Did not do too much during his 35 minutes on the Wembley pitch.

Michale Olise – 6

A bright spark, but the game was already wrapped up before he could start making a telling contribution.

Christian Benteke – 5

Did not offer much and looked like a player lacking match fitness.