Chelsea 1-0 Leeds: Blues reach FA Cup final after Liam Rosenior sacking

At the center of everything was Fernandez, the outstanding player of the game, the match winner. The Argentine’s first-half header sailed hard past Lucas Perri in the 23rd minute and proved to be the decisive moment.

Chelsea’s 498-minute streak of not scoring against Premier League teams in all competitions has ended. Victory was secured with their first clean sheet against top-flight opposition since 17 January.

This was the same one Fernandez was recently given a two-match suspension by Chelsea after Rosenior said he had “crossed the line” by giving an interview implying he would leave following their Champions League elimination against Paris St-Germain.

The assumption was that he batted his eyelashes at Real Madrid.

At Wembley, what should have been normal service for the World Cup winner has been restarted. Fernandez was the inspiration behind Chelsea’s win, not just with his goals but with his all-round effort.

He increased his number of goals to 13 this season. The only midfielder to score more goals for a Premier League club in the 2025-26 season is Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White with 16 goals.

Former England goalkeeper Rob Green, who had a spell at Stamford Bridge towards the end of his career, reflected on how Chelsea and Fernandez’s Wembley displays contrasted sharply with what emerged in Rosenior’s final days.

“They are a product of the system they are in and of today’s football,” Green told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“It’s ugly but they have all the power and that was Fernandez’s example. He ran the game. It was up to him how they played. It’s not healthy for a football club but for Chelsea he’s taking them to the finals.”

“Give a player an inch, he takes a mile.

“Chelsea are doing what Chelsea are doing. They had a big moment in the game, Leeds had three or four moments but couldn’t get them and that was the difference.”

And what a difference a new face makes in the technical field; especially amid the dysfunction and turbulence that characterize Chelsea.