The chaos of Chelsea’s turbulent 2024-25 campaign took a sudden, redemptive turn at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, as midfielder Enzo Fernandez’s first-half header secured a 1-0 FA Cup semi-final victory over Leeds United, sending the Blues through to a May 16 final showdown with Manchester City. The result comes just four days after Chelsea sacked head coach Liam Rosenior, capping a dramatic week that has upended the club’s season amid a devastating run of poor form.
Rosenior’s tenure at Stamford Bridge ended after just 106 days, cut short following a five-game losing streak that saw Chelsea fail to find the net once – the club’s worst such run since 1912. The writing was on the wall after a humiliating 3-0 away defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion on Tuesday, where Rosenior publicly criticized his players’ commitment and fighting spirit. That outburst proved to be the final straw for Chelsea’s ownership, deepening already visible rifts between the manager and the first-team squad that had surfaced after Rosenior dropped Fernandez for two matches. The Argentine had been dropped after hinting in a media interview that he could consider leaving the club at the end of the season, a controversy that undermined Rosenior’s already fragile authority from his earliest weeks in charge.
Rosenior’s departure follows widespread unrest in the dressing room, with multiple key players having already expressed frustration over the sacking of previous manager Enzo Maresca earlier this year, and internal leaks over team selection further eroding trust. The terrible run of form has already ended Chelsea’s hopes of qualifying for next season’s UEFA Champions League: the club sits 10 points behind fifth-placed Aston Villa with just four matches remaining in the Premier League, eliminating any chance of securing a top-five finish that would have earned a European spot.
Stepping into the interim role just days before the semi-final was Calum McFarlane, previously the head coach of Chelsea’s Under-21 side who was promoted to assist Rosenior earlier in the season. Inheriting a fractured dressing room and a squad low on confidence, McFarlane has already earned praise for coaxing a cohesive, focused performance out of the players in their first match since the sacking. For Chelsea, a club with eight FA Cup titles to their name and 16 previous final appearances, a win over Guardiola’s side at Wembley would not only deliver their first FA Cup crown since 2018, but also salvage a campaign that has otherwise been written off as a failure. It would also make McFarlane one of the most unlikely title-winning managers in the competition’s long history.
Sunday’s semi-final was a missed opportunity for Leeds, who reached their first FA Cup semi-final since 1987 and had not appeared in a final for 53 years. The Championship side came close to taking an early lead when Brenden Aaronson broke clean through on goal after a slip from Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah, but the American dragged his attempt off target, failing to beat Blues goalkeeper Robert Sanchez. Chelsea responded immediately with a chance of their own, as Joao Pedro drilled a low close-range strike against the near post, wasting the opening.
It was Fernandez who broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute, quieting the anxiety that hung over Chelsea’s side. After Leeds defender Pascal Struijk gave away possession deep in his own half, Pedro Neto intercepted the loose ball and curled a pinpoint cross into the six-yard box, where Fernandez headed into the far corner for what would prove to be the only goal of the game. The strike ended a nearly 300-minute goal drought for Chelsea, whose last goal had come against third-tier side Port Vale in the FA Cup quarter-finals.
Leeds made a half-time substitution, bringing on German midfielder Anton Stach, who came inches away from equalizing with his very first touch – a long-range thunderbolt that forced a brilliant save from Sanchez. Leeds improved considerably after a lackluster first half, but Dominic Calvert-Lewin failed to convert a good headed chance, directing his effort straight at the Chelsea keeper. Tensions boiled over moments later when Sanchez required treatment for a knock, with Leeds players accusing the Spaniard of feigning injury to allow Chelsea a tactical break, leading to a heated scuffle on the touchline. While tempers flared, the match never approached the intensity of the infamous brutal 1970 FA Cup final between the two historic rivals.
Chelsea held firm through the final minutes to close out the win, restoring a small measure of pride to a season that has been overshadowed by off-field chaos and poor results. They now turn their focus to Wembley next month, where they will face a Manchester City side that fought back from a one-goal deficit to beat Southampton 2-1 in the other semi-final on Saturday, in what is set to be one of the most hotly anticipated FA Cup finals in recent memory.