Two Chelsea players who were instrumental in the FA Cup victory 

The Emirates FA Cup 2018 saw two giants of English football, Chelsea Football Club and Manchester United clash at the iconic Wembley stadium in London. The game ended 1-0 in Chelsea's favor with the brilliant Belgian, Eden Hazard, calmly slotting home from the spot to earn a first cup trophy for Conte, in what was perhaps his last game as manager of the Blues.

Billed to be another game of epic proportions between these two old rivals, both teams adopted a cautious strategy, opting to defend resolutely and break on the counter instead of taking the game to the opposition.

Both managers have had a frustrating second season in charge.

Ahead of the game, both managers agreed that victory in the final would not affect their "assessment" of this season, yet secretly, both would have liked nothing more than to be able to have their names on the winners' medals of the world's oldest club competition.

Fifth-placed Chelsea were looking to salvage yet another disastrous domestic campaign, while Jose was out to prove a point, that his pragmatic "boring" football could still guarantee trophies. It was Conte who had the last laugh however, with the mercurial Belgian sealing Chelsea's eighth FA Cup finals win.

Chelsea fans, though would have been far more impressed by two of their defensive-minded players, Antonio Rudiger and Tiémoué Bakayoko.

Antonio Rudiger

The German defender was signed from AS Roma during the 2017 transfer window to provide cover in defence. Although he made a slow start to the season, Rudiger has since gone from strength to strength, gaining valuable experience and making important tackles and interceptions throughout, especially in the FA Cup final.

Rudiger has had an excellent personal

campaign,

and is going to the WC as well

Typically combative and confident on the ball, the man signed as a backup for Cahill has kept the club captain out of the starting 11 for several games in a row, with his superior performances, pace and heading ability greatly praised by pundits. On Saturday, Rudiger started on the left of a back three, along with Cahill and Azpilicueta.

Tasked with nullifying a fluid front three of Rashford, Sanchez and Lingard, Rudiger stuck to his job throughout the ninety minutes, making crucial blocks and interceptions, not allowing his opponents a single extra inch of grass to move into.

When Big Rom came on with 20 minutes still to play, United fans would have been on the edge of their seats, anticipating yet another rescue effort from their star striker. That was not to be though, as Rudiger shepherded Lukaku away from the Chelsea box, keeping the Belgian silent.

Even more admirable was Rudiger's positioning, sticking close to Sanchez whenever he dropped deep, only to recover quickly and prevent Valencia from putting in the crosses. Rudiger was deservedly given the 'Man of the Match' award, but was not quite done with impressing the Blues faithful, repeatedly claiming to the broadcasters that "Eden Hazard stays!"

That must have been music to the ears of Chelsea fans, as they look to build on the hope of this end-of-the-season glory, that too against a former boss and arch-rivals with history.

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Tiémoué Bakayoko

The French midfielder has been yet another example of why Chelsea endured such a difficult season, finishing fifth and a whopping 30 points behind champions City. Signed for a hefty $40 million, the Frenchman failed to replicate his Monaco form, looking woefully out of place in a two-man holding midfield, often giving away the ball cheaply, making silly fouls or being caught out of position.

The lowest point of his personal campaign was when he got sent off for a second bookable offence within a half hour, in a Premier League match at Watford (which Chelsea lost 4-1).

The Frenchman's recent form has been positive, with fans appreciating his commitment to improve

Conte however, has always defended his midfielder, saying that it has been a poor season for all of his players. Since returning from injury, Bakayoko has looked more confident on the ball, passing it better and also putting himself in good positions to recover.

Following up on his impressive outing against Liverpool, Bakayoko, with some help from Kante, dominated the midfield, not allowing any space for Pogba to run into. With Herrera trying his best to man-mark Hazard, the Frenchman made some driving runs down the middle, and on one occasion even found himself the farthest man forward.

Strong in the air, Bakayoko dealt with opposition corners well, keeping Pogba and Smalling away from the ball. All in all, it was an assured performance from the man brought in to replace Matic, and this trophy may just help him find his mojo at Chelsea.