Chelsea beat Leeds to set up an FA Cup final clash with Manchester City

Enzo Fernandez scored the only goal in Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Leeds and the FA Cup final against Manchester City.

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 controversial figure towards the end of Liam Rosenior’s brief reign after being suspended 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 run of five straight defeats without a goal – the club’s worst winning streak since 1912 – culminating in Tuesday’s 3-0 win at Brighton.

Chelsea’s dismal 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 remaining.

But, now led by interim manager Calum McFarlane, the Blues can partially salvage a miserable season 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 side came from behind to beat second-tier Southampton 2-1 on Saturday.

Eight-time FA Cup winners Chelsea are in the final for the 17th time in their history and the first since losing to Liverpool in the 2022 final.

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