Enzo Fernandez powers Chelsea to FA Cup final with tight win over Leeds

It marked the Blues initial appearance following the dismissal of manager Liam Rosenior on Wednesday after a poor streak of seven losses in eight outings (W1), leaving interim head coach Calum McFarlane to seek better results versus a Leeds team that had not tasted defeat in their prior seven fixtures (W4, D3).

The stand-in coach likely took heart from his squads assured opening, yet the initial major opportunity went to the Whites in the 15th minute as Robert Sanchez blocked Brenden Aaronson using his foot after the attacker found himself in a one-on-one situation.

Chelseas leading marksman Joao Pedro (G19) was back in the XI having sat out the last two encounters through injury, and the forward nearly broke the deadlock by striking the ball against the posts inner side from a narrow position.

The Blues were goalless in their prior three fixtures, yet they broke that sequence in the 23rd minute as Pedro Neto delivered a cross for the free Fernandez to nod in his 13th strike of the campaign in all tournaments, marking the captains initial goal since his exclusion by Rosenior last month over remarks regarding his prospects at Stamford Bridge.

This represented Leeds debut FA Cup semi-final appearance since 1987, and their squad might have felt the weight of the moment, allowing Chelsea to earn their interval advantage rightly.

Leeds manager Daniel Farke opted for two changes and adopted a four-man defence during the interval to shift momentum, bringing on Anton Stach and Joe Rodon in place of James Justin and Jaka Bijol.

Stach nearly levelled immediately with his opening involvement by firing a powerful shot from distance, forcing Sanchez to tip it onto the bar, prior to Pedro mistiming his effort from close range with the ball trickling astray.

The Whites grew in menace during the second period, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin directing a header directly at Sanchez soon afterwards.

Even with their enhanced performance post break, the Whites could not secure a leveller, having now suffered 1-0 defeats in each of their three trips to the modern Wembley.

Their pursuit of a first FA Cup final berth since 1973 continues, while focus shifts back to ensuring Premier League survival across the remaining four matches.

Conversely, the eight-time FA Cup champions Chelsea now eye potential trophy success to redeem a subpar season in the May 16 showdown, holding an unbeaten record versus Leeds in this tournament (W7, D3).