Chelsea’s interim manager Calum McFarlane admitted they had to “break the momentum” of five straight Premier League defeats without scoring as they held off Leeds to reach the FA Cup final.
A header in the first half from Enzo Fernández proved decisive as Daniel Farke’s side were frustrated by several fine saves from the Chelsea goalkeeper, Robert Sánchez. It means McFarlane, who replaced Liam Rosenior following his sacking this week, will have a chance to win Chelsea’s first domestic trophy since 2018 when he takes charge of next month’s final against Manchester City.
“It was important to break the momentum and the form that we were in,” he said. “That completely changes the feel in the group and gives us confidence going into the next five games.”
Fernández was dropped by Rosenior for two matches after flirting with Real Madrid but followed up his equaliser against City in January when McFarlane was last in charge after the departure of Enzo Maresca with another goal here. “I said that to him at the end – ‘you like scoring goals at the back post’ and he just laughed,” added McFarlane. “He’s a winner, he’s got some much talent, so much fight and he’s massive for this group. He was exceptional today.
“I did it for a week before, so I knew what I was stepping into. It’s easier this time because I have a relationship with the players and I’ve worked with them for three or four months now. I’ve been a part of the backroom staff, so I had a feel for what they needed psychologically. It’s been intense.”
Sánchez, who denied Brenden Aaronson in the first half before pulling off an even better save from Anton Stach’s effort just after half-time, admitted that Chelsea’s players had been desperate to put on a performance after losing their last five Premier League matches without scoring.
“The boys reacted in the way they should have,” he said. “We’ve tried to keep everyone positive in training and it’s the chance to be in another final.”
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The Leeds manager, Daniel Farke, admitted that nerves got the better of his side after they failed to score at Wembley for the fourth successive visit and they came up short in their attempt to avenge the FA Cup final defeat to Chelsea following a replay in 1970. “You could feel the boys were a bit too nervous today to be at their free-flowing best,” said Farke. “They always had an answer to the questions that we asked.”