Chelsea beat Leeds to reach FA Cup final with Enzo Fernandez the difference maker

Ben McCaffrey
Sun, 26 Apr 2026 16:17:25 +0000

Chelsea have progressed to the FA Cup final after beating Leeds 1-0 at Wembley.

Captain Enzo Fernandez was the difference-maker for Calum McFarlane's side, his 23rd-minute header separating the two teams on the day.

It was a game that lacked quality at times, perhaps with an air of nervousness, particularly from the Leeds players, but Chelsea's early dominance ultimately paid off.

Despite a ferocious atmosphere before kick-off, the football was pretty flat on the pitch. Chelsea asserted control, keeping hold of the ball well while Leeds failed to make it stick with Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

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Though Leeds produced the first meaningful chance of the game when Brendan Aaronson was put through by Calvert-Lewin, it was Chelsea who drew the first blood.

They had gotten into dangerous areas of the pitch earlier in the game without hurting Leeds, but when Joao Pedro nicked the ball from Pascal Struijk and played through Pedro Neto, they found their clinical edge.

The Portuguese clipped in a delicious delivery for Fernandez, who managed to sneak in between James Justin and Jaka Bijol and guided the ball into the back of the net.

It was another example of the £120million Argentinian stepping up to the plate, scoring his 13th goal of the season when Chelsea so desperately needed him.

Aside from the all-important goal, Fernandez was everywhere for Chelsea, and Leeds were neither able to pick him up nor stop him from dictating play.

The goal had been coming at a point where Leeds had struggled to click at all, other than the early chance for Aaronson, whereas Chelsea took an early command. The Blues, who entered the day in disarray after sacking boss Liam Rosenior last week, did not need to be outstanding to dominate large portions of this game.

Neto looked dangerous and direct, Pedro produced some tidy touches, and Alejandro Garnacho, who was the quietest of the forwards, showed glimpses of threat, particularly when he lashed a ball across the box, though none of his teammates could get on the end of it.

For Leeds, it was a tense and edgy performance. The 33,000 travelling Yorkshire fans did not settle their nerves, and their apprehensions on the pitch were punished when Struijk sloppily gave up possession inside his own half.

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The midfield pairing of Ethan Ampadu and Ao Tanaka struggled to dictate anything in the first half, while Fernandez picked up pockets of space and punished Leeds time and again, as evidenced by the first goal.

It was not until the 35th minute that Leeds sustained any significant possession at all.

They missed their midfield orchestrator Anton Stach, who has been out of action since an ankle injury picked up in the quarter-final.

So, it would have delighted Leeds fans to see the German giant on the pitch for the second half.

He almost immediately made an impact after his arrival, forcing a strong save from Sanchez, who was superb for Chelsea all afternoon, after a good effort from distance.

The half-time switch to four at the back gave Leeds an extra man in midfield, and with that came more impetus and momentum, giving the raucous support something to cheer for.

The Leeds faithful became particularly upset when Sanchez hit the deck with a seemingly innocuous injury, during which time Chelsea regrouped and received additional tactical instructions from McFarlane.

The game itself was littered with stoppages, whether that be referee Jarred Gillett being particularly trigger-happy with his whistle or players spending time on the floor – the ball felt like it was often out of play.

This was typified with just minutes to go, as Neto grabbed and pulled Jayden Bogle's shirt before throwing himself to the floor, claiming an elbow to the face. Gillet gave Bogle a yellow card.

When the ball was in play, however, Chelsea more often than not had control, and they made it count. Leeds drifted through the first half, and their late push for an equaliser was neither overly threatening nor decisive. They didn't really show up.

Chelsea did what they had to do and have set up a mouth-watering final against Premier League title-chasers and serial winners Manchester City next month.