Chelsea unconvincingly beat Al Hilal 1-0 to reach the FIFA Club World Cup final ©Getty Images

Chelsea and Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras have advanced to the FIFA Club World Cup football final following their semi-final wins at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

UEFA Champions League winners Chelsea beat Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal 1-0 today, with Romelu Lukaku ensuring the English side reached the final despite an unconvincing performance.

Chelsea’s struggles in the United Arab Emirates were similar to those that have plagued them in recent months.

This was in part impacted by their Saudi Arabian opponents and their noisy section of fans being fired-up for an unlikely victory against more illustrious opponents.

Chelsea gifted their opponents an early opportunity when Mateo Kovacic handed former Manchester United striker Odion Ighalo a shooting chance less than a minute into the match.

Al Hilal’s determination to be tough to break down was displayed with Ali al-Bulayhi taking the ball away from Lukaku who seemed destined to run clear on goal ten minutes later but could not finish.

Soon Chelsea took control but they still could not find their shooting boots, with Lukaku responsible for missing a simple chance from close range.

The same troubles that have followed the Belgian striker since his infamous Sky Italia television interview persisted until he pounced at the back post in the 32nd minute to convert after a messy Al Hilal defensive clearances.

Kai Havertz and Hakim Ziyech went close to extending Chelsea’s lead in the second half neither could kill the tie off.

Al Hilal, motivated that they might find an equaliser, pushed forward as Chelsea faded.

They found their opportunities, but Kepa Arrizabalaga produced two impressive saves to deny Mohamed Kanno and Moussa Marega.

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel, who has been unable to fly to Abu Dhabi following a positive COVID-19 test, described the performance as "nervous", according to his assistant Zsolt Low.

Chelsea are yet to win the Club World Cup and will have another chance to add it to their collection on Saturday (February 12).

However, if the favourites continue to perform sluggishly, their opponents in the final, Copa Libertadores champions Palmeiras of Brazil will be ready to capitalise.

Palmeiras reached the final yesterday after beating Egyptian side Al Ahly 2-0.

Dudu was at the heart of the Brazilian side’s attacking success through an influential goal and assist.

First, he provided a creative flick-on for Raphael Veiga, who buried the opportunity six minutes from the half-time whistle.

Dudu then put Palmeiras into an even stronger position when he doubled their advantage four minutes into the second half.

His powerful shot was squeezed into the net from a tight angle on the right hand side.

Al Ahly enjoyed possession and had shots on goal to try to rescue the match, but their efforts were met with a resistant opposition.

They thought the luck had turned in their favour when Mohammed Sherif tapped in an easy chance after poor goalkeeping from Weverton in the 72nd minute, but video replays showed an offside breach.

The win was confirmed in the 81st minute when Ayman Ashraf, part of the Egypt side that had lost to Senegal in the African Cup of Nations final three days earlier, was shown a straight red card for a dangerous tackle on Palmeiras player Rony.