ANTONIO CONTE’S Chelsea clinched an FA Cup showdown with Manchester United on May 19 after overcoming Southampton in this afternoon’s entertaining contest at Wembley Stadium.

Olivier Giroud’s goal, a superbly taken effort less than a minute after the interval, put the west Londoners on their way, before a late header from substitute Alvaro Morata sealed the win.

It means that Chelsea, seven-time winners of the competition, reach the FA Cup final for the second successive year. Last year, they were beaten 2-1 by an Arsenal side that featured Giroud.

Against relegation-threatened Southampton, Conte’s men looked confident in an enjoyable first half. Chelsea came closest to breaking the deadlock through Willian, who lashed the crossbar with a powerful shot early on.

Chelsea’s opening goal was well-worked. The move started with a chipped pass by Cesc Fabregas into the impressive Eden Hazard. The Belgian playmaker cleverly controlled the ball before playing in Giroud.

With the ball at his feet, the French striker squirmed his way beyond Southampton’s back line. As he cut inside a last-gasp challenge from defender Cedric Soares, he slotted the ball in from close range. The stadium erupted as the former Arsenal hitman reeled away to celebrate.

The south coast side thought they had equalised on 74 minutes. However, Charlie Austin’s effort was controversially ruled out for a foul on goalkeeper Willy Caballero by the Southampton striker.

The win was secured when, on 81 minutes, Morata found space in the penalty area. He out-jumped his marker before heading the ball beyond goalkeeper Alex McCarthy.

Southampton manager Mark Hughes will now turn his attention back to the relegation struggle. They are four points from safety with just four matches of the league remaining.

For Conte, who is widely expected to leave Chelsea at the end of the season, the FA Cup will be his last chance for silverware as he looks to add to last season’s title win.