Chelsea vs. Liverpool: 5 Things We Learned About Blues in Epic FA Cup Final Win

Chelsea defeated Liverpool in dramatic fashion by winning 2-1 in the FA Cup Final.

The Blues looked to be comfortably ahead before Andy Carroll came on and disrupted the flow of the game. The 23-year-old scored moments after coming on and had a header pulled off the line which would've leveled the score with only a few minutes left to play.

It was a hectic last 30 minutes, but Chelsea were the better side overall, and they deserved to lift the trophy.

Going forward, here are five things we learned about the London side on Saturday.

Ramires Is the Most Important Player

While Juan Mata is the most skilled player and Petr Cech is the best player (relative to his position), Ramires is the most important player for Chelsea.

His surging run in the 11th minute opened the scoring. Jose Enrique, who has some pace, simply couldn't keep up with the Brazilian, who blasted a near-post shot past Pepe Reina. The Spanish international should've made the save, but Ramires put too much pace on it.

Ramires has matured as a player this year, and he has been playing his preferred position under Roberto Di Matteo. As long as Ramires is outrunning left-backs, Chelsea will always have a chance to score.

Ramires will miss the Champions League Final. And, as we learned today, Chelsea will miss him.

Ivanovic and Terry Make the Best Combination

Chelsea have been looking for the best centre-back combination all year, and they've finally found it.

David Luiz was playing well, but he doesn't quite fit into Chelsea's best XI (yet). When Branislav Ivanovic and John Terry play together, Chelsea have one of the best pairings in England.

They complement each other well, and they have a great understanding of each other. They played well once again today, and the defense looked invincible for the better part of 70 minutes today.

Things got a little shaky in the last 20-25 minutes once Andy Carroll came on, but that's where a healthy David Luiz would fit perfectly. His fresh legs and energy would be able to shut Carroll down.

Chelsea expect a lot of things from Gary Cahill in the future, but for right now, the best pairing in the back is Ivanovic and Terry.

Petr Cech Is the Best Goalkeeper in the World

I couldn't find a good video of it, but trust me when I say Petr Cech had the save of the season.

Andy Carroll put a header on frame from a sharp angle, and it looked like the score would be level. However, Cech dove back and pulled the ball off the line, surprising everyone at Wembley.

Combine that with a few improvisational saves he had earlier in the match, and Cech had as good of a game as anyone in the world. His form is outstanding, and nothing short of a great goal can get past him right now.

Many pundits thought Cech was taking a step back this season. Given his early season form, it's easy to see why people thought that.

However, as of May 5, 2012, Cech is the best goalkeeper in the world.

Lady Luck Is Smiling on Chelsea

As dangerous as Liverpool looked in the last 20 minutes, I never thought they would score. That's not a slight against the club; it's just how things have worked out for Chelsea in cup play over the last two months.

For some reason, Chelsea have had someone smiling down on them since early March, and this game seemed no different.

Every tackle was well-timed, every bounce went the right way and every call seemed justifiable. When Cech pulled it off the line, everyone stopped for two seconds. Ivanovic, however, reacted quicker than anyone and cleared the ball that everyone thought was a goal.

Luckily, the assistant referee appeared to have gotten the call right. It was a call that any sideline official could've gotten wrong, and no one would've blamed him. For the second straight FA Cup match, Chelsea were on the positive side of a goal-line controversy.

When you add that to a few uncharacteristic Steven Gerrard misses, Chelsea won that match with a little luck on their side.

Chelsea Players Are Exhausted

Chelsea have world-class players.

Their fitness is as high as any other club in the world. Nevertheless, 10 matches in one month takes a toll on a team. Their players looked tired today, and Roberto Di Matteo needs to do the right thing.

Give them a break.

With the Champions League Final two weeks away, the players who are available to Chelsea need to be as fresh as possible. Beating Bayern Munich in Allianz Arena will be tough, and Chelsea don't want to be fighting fitness as well as the crowd.

If Di Matteo is smart, he will start resting the players he plans on starting that night in Munich. Four regular starters are unavailable so they will be able to hold down the fort until then.

It's extremely unlikely Chelsea qualify for the Champions League through the Premier League, so they need to win the final to play next year.

Accordingly, Di Matteo needs to rest his exhausted players and put all his efforts into winning the Champions League.