Before Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mason Mount scored to send Thomas Tuchel’s side to their second domestic cup final of the season, Palace had caused Chelsea problems.
Edouard Mendy was forced into a quick-fire reactionary save from Cheikou Kouyate after his snap-shot volley in the best moment of the first-half. Even when 2-0 down, Joachim Andersen could have made for tense finish had he been able to direct his free header goalward.
Ultimately, Palace’s FA Cup campaign came to an end at Wembley on Easter Sunday though the fact they managed to get there speaks to just what an impressive job Vieira is doing.
Less than a year into his time in charge, the former Arsenal captain has overseen a rapid-fire rebuild, focusing on developing young players and adopting a more progressive brand of football after the Roy Hodgson era.
Speaking after the game, Vieira told ITV Sport: “I don’t know if it was a fair reflection [a 2-0 loss], in the first half we frustrated them a lot, we had chances and in the situation we could have played them better. Against these teams it is about taking your chances and we didn’t and they did.
“I believe these sorts of games with a lot of tension will make us a better team. We had chances but didn’t score but we also didn’t give the ball at the right time sometimes.
“We just have to keep going. This is the kind of game the players, manager and the club wants to get involved in. We have to keep building the team and working well. The fans were unbelievable today and thanks again to them for their support.
“We were close but there is still a big gap between Chelsea and ourselves.”