Chelsea booked their place in the FA Cup final with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Leeds United at Wembley, as Enzo Fernandez’s first-half header proved decisive in a scrappy semi-final clash.
The performance highlighted both the strengths and flaws within Chelsea’s talented squad showing the resilience and determination that had been missing during Liam Rosenior’s short and troubled spell in charge, which ended after just 106 days.
If Rosenior watched from afar, he would have every reason to wonder why the fight and commitment displayed at Wembley failed to appear during Chelsea’s disastrous run of five straight league defeats without scoring a slump not seen at the club since 1912.
With a return to Wembley set for 16 May against Manchester City in the FA Cup final, Chelsea now have a chance to rescue an otherwise chaotic season with silverware something the club has managed to do many times before.
Even amid criticism of the squad and owners BlueCo, victory has handed Chelsea the opportunity to turn a shambolic campaign into one with a trophy-winning ending.
