ITV 's coverage of the FA Cup semi-final between Chelsea and Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon was marred by a hissing sound heard throughout the build-up to kick-off.
The likes of Roy Keane, Ian Wright and Joe Cole were on punditry duties in the studio at Wembley Stadium but it was difficult to hear them over the persistent noise. There was momentary respite from the hissing when the broadcaster cut away to adverts but, to the frustration of fans, it resumed once their coverage continued.
Supporters tuning into the semi-final took to social media to plead with ITV to solve the issue with one writing on Twitter: "Fix the hissing sound on ITV1 it sounds terrible!" Another added: "Need to sort the sound out guys, terrible hissing noise in the background."
The hissing could be heard live on ITV1 as well as ITV Hub and it ceased roughly 13 minutes before kick-off, much to the relief of viewers up and down the country. Chelsea and Crystal Palace were competing to set up an FA Cup final against Liverpool, who won the other semi on Saturday afternoon by defeating Manchester City in a thrilling five-goal encounter.
There was some surprise when the team news was announced as Romelu Lukaku - Chelsea's £97.5million summer signing - was only handed a spot on the bench. Explaining his decision, Thomas Tuchel admitted the Belgium international was lacking the match sharpness required to start such an important fixture. "He is not fit enough for the intensity of our game in a FA Cup semi-final," the Blues boss told ITV Sport of Lukaku.
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"It's not easy to come into a game such as this with so much riding on it after a spell out with injury. It's just a case of him not having as much minutes recently as the other players, his match fitness is not quite there otherwise there's a big chance that he would have started today." Tuchel also predicted an entertaining clash against a Palace side who have shown patches of brilliance during their first season with Patrick Vieira in the dugout.
"They are a team that is full of energy, they have an attacking mindset and they are very good on the counter-attack because they have a lot of speed up front," the German said of the Eagles. "It is a difficult team to play, of course, and it's a London derby so it should be a good game." The FA Cup final will take place at Wembley on 14 May.
