Enzo Fernandez fired Chelsea into the FA Cup final against Manchester City as the Argentine sealed a 1-0 win against Leeds, that was not without controversy, in the Blues’ first match after Liam Rosenior’s sacking.
Fernandez’s first-half header in Sunday’s semi-final at Wembley was an ironic twist after another farcical chapter in Chelsea’s turbulent recent history.
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The 25-year-old midfielder emerged as a divisive figure towards the end of Rosenior’s brief reign after he was dropped for two games for hinting in an interview that he was considering leaving at the end of the season.
Rosenior’s handling of the incident undermined his already-fragile relationship with his squad as Chelsea’s form spiralled out of control.
He was sacked on Wednesday after a woeful run of five successive defeats without scoring — the club’s worst streak since 1912 — climaxed with Tuesday’s 3-0 hammering at Brighton.
Rosenior, who lasted only 106 days after arriving from Strasbourg, had sealed his fate by criticising the players’ desire and spirit against Brighton.
That outburst was the final straw for Chelsea’s owners, exposing a rift between Rosenior and his stars that included leaked team selections and several players, including Fernandez, publicly expressing frustration with his predecessor Enzo Maresca’s departure.
Chelsea’s woeful run has ruined their bid to qualify for next season’s Champions League, leaving them 10 points behind fifth-placed Aston Villa with just four games left.
But, now led by interim manager Calum McFarlane, the Blues can partially salvage a miserable campaign by winning the FA Cup for the first time since 2018.
They will face City in the final on May 16 after Pep Guardiola’s team came from behind to beat second tier Southampton 2-1 on Saturday.
Eight-time FA Cup winners Chelsea are into the final for the 17th time in their history and the first since losing to Liverpool in the 2022 showpiece.
Crazy scenes after 103rd-min equaliser! | 00:47
If Chelsea can beat City at Wembley, the inexperienced McFarlane would become one of the most unlikely FA Cup-winning managers after stepping up from his role with the club’s Under-21 squad to assist Rosenior.
McFarlane has inherited a mess but he deserves credit for coaxing a more cohesive display from Chelsea so soon after Rosenior’s sacking.
– Chelsea restore pride –
It was a missed opportunity for Leeds, who were playing in their first FA Cup semi-final since 1987 and haven’t made the final for 53 years.
Brenden Aaronson wasted a golden opportunity to put Leeds ahead in the 15th minute, racing clean through on goal after Trevoh Chalobah’s slip but failing to produce the accuracy to beat Robert Sanchez.
Chelsea responded to that scare by missing a good chance of their own, Joao Pedro drilling a low strike against the near post from close-range.
But Fernandez eased the anxiety around Chelsea with his 23rd-minute opener. Pascal Struijk was guilty of surrendering possession deep inside Leeds’ half and Pedro Neto pounced, lifting a pin-point cross towards Fernandez, who headed into the far corner from six yards.
It was Chelsea’s first goal for nearly 300 minutes since they netted against third tier Port Vale in the FA Cup quarter-final.
Leeds sent on Anton Stach at the interval and the German midfielder was inches away from equalising with his first touch, a long-range rocket that forced a fine stop from Sanchez.
Daniel Farke’s side improved after their tepid first half, but Dominic Calvert-Lewin should have done better than head straight at Sanchez from a good position.
Sanchez needed treatment for an injury moments later, but Leeds claimed the Spaniard was faking to give his team a tactical break, leading to a heated clash between several players on the touchline.
Tempers were flaring but it was far from the infamous brutal 1970 FA Cup final battle between these old rivals.
Leeds’ players and staff believed their Chelsea counterparts had instructed Sanchez to stay down so that his teammates could head to the sidelines for a drink and to receive instructions from McFarlane.
Leeds’ Ethan Ampadu tried to interrupt a conversation between McFarlane and Tosin Adarabioyo until Chelsea midfielder Romeo Lavia forcefully pushed him away.
Farke and his coaching staff protested to the officials, while Leeds fan chanted ‘you cheating b******s’.
“As a former ’keeper having played for Leeds, it was a plan as a ‘keeper to go down. But it needs to be stopped,” former England goalkeeper Rob Green said on BBC Radio 5 Live.
Chelsea kept their cool to close out a win that restored a modicum of pride after the Rosenior debacle.
“We had to weather some storm and show a bit of character and grit while they threw everything at us. Probably the character was the most pleasing part,” McFarlane said.
“I think those lads showed how much they want to win and what they were willing to do to win a really important football game for the club.”
McFarlane knows victory over Pep Guardiola’s men would partially salvage Chelsea’s troubled campaign.
“Relief is the correct word. We were confident going into the game. We had a good three days but you never know. We wanted to shift the momentum; our form hasn’t been great,” he said.
“We knew Leeds would think we were vulnerable. We knew we were in a bit of a vulnerable place.
“Then we started to take control of the game. Robert Sanchez’s saves were massive for us. We haven’t kept enough clean sheets recently.”