Enzo Fernandez fired Chelsea into the FA Cup final against Manchester City as the Argentine sealed a 1-0 win against Leeds 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.
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 was sacked on Wednesday after a woeful run of five successive defeats without scoring, climaxed by a 3-0 hammering at Brighton.
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.
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.
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. Chelsea kept their cool to close out a win that restored a modicum of pride after the Rosenior debacle. 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.
