Chelsea secured their place in the FA Cup final with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Leeds United at Wembley. Enzo Fernandez's first-half header proved decisive, sending the Blues to their 17th FA Cup final and a showdown with treble-chasing Manchester City next month.
The goal came after 23 minutes when Fernandez nodded home from close range, capping a dominant first-half display. The Argentine midfielder, who was dropped for two matches by previous boss Liam Rosenior after flirting with Real Madrid during the international break, made a decisive impact under interim manager Calum McFarlane.
McFarlane, who replaced the sacked Rosenior on Wednesday, became the first English manager since Frank Lampard to reach an FA Cup final. His tactical approach saw Chelsea go longer to negate Leeds' man-to-man pressing, creating space for his attackers. 'I thought Enzo's positioning was brilliant,' McFarlane said. 'He pulled wider to pin the right-winger, giving us a spare man in the build-up.'
Leeds pushed for an equaliser in the second half but Chelsea's defence, led by Tosin Adarabioyo and Trevoh Chalobah, held firm. Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez made a crucial late save from a long throw as the Blues weathered eight minutes of added time. 'We knew Leeds were dangerous when we had deep possession,' McFarlane added. 'We wanted to create fear in them.'
The victory sets up a repeat of the 2021 final, though Chelsea's recent record against City is poor, with no wins in their last 13 meetings. 'The boys reacted exactly as they should have,' McFarlane said. 'The fans deserve moments like this after a tough period.'
