Enzo Fernandez delivered a moment of history at Wembley on Sunday, heading home a cross from Neto that sent Chelsea into an FA Cup final against Manchester City with a 1-0 victory over Leeds United, the win being the club’s first since the sacking of manager Liam Rosenior.
The 25-year-old Argentine had become a divisive figure in the dying days of Rosenior’s tenure, having been dropped for two games after hinting in an interview that he was weighing up his future at the club.
Yet it was Fernandez who proved the hero, converting a precise Pedro Neto cross with a header into the far corner from six yards in the 23rd minute, after Pascal Struijk surrendered possession deep in Leeds’ half.
Rosenior was dismissed on Wednesday following a catastrophic run of five consecutive defeats without scoring, the club’s worst such streak since 2012, capped by a 3-0 thrashing at Brighton.
The former Strasbourg manager, who lasted just 106 days in charge, had effectively sealed his own fate by publicly criticising his players’ desire and spirit after the Brighton loss, exposing a deep rift between himself and the squad that had included leaked team selections and widespread player discontent.
Interim boss Calum McFarlane stepped in and, despite inheriting a chaotic situation, deserves credit for producing a far more cohesive performance from the Blues at short notice.
Chelsea will now face Manchester City in the final on May 16, with the Blues appearing in a Wembley showpiece for the first time since their defeat to Liverpool in 2022.
Victory would make them FA Cup winners for the first time since 2018 and, remarkably, would make the inexperienced McFarlane one of the most unlikely FA Cup-winning managers in the competition’s history.
The league campaign has already been effectively derailed, with Chelsea sitting 10 points behind fifth-placed Aston Villa with only four games remaining, making the cup their last realistic chance of rescuing something meaningful from a deeply turbulent season.
