04/26/26 11:14:00
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04/26 11:12 CDT Chelsea beats Leeds to set up FA Cup final meeting with Man City
Chelsea beats Leeds to set up FA Cup final meeting with Man City
By STEVE DOUGLAS
AP Sports Writer
Chelsea's season might be unraveling but it will still include an appearance in
the FA Cup final.
Enzo Fernandez's 23rd-minute header secured Chelsea a 1-0 win over Leeds in the
semifinals on Sunday, setting up a meeting with Manchester City in the May 16
title match.
Chelsea's run in the FA Cup is salvaging a campaign that has veered off the
rails after a humiliating exit from the Champions League --- 8-2 on aggregate
to Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 --- and five straight losses in the
Premier League that marks the team's worst run of league results in 114 years
and led to the midweek dismissal of manager Liam Rosenior.
Calum McFarlane, Rosenior's unheralded assistant, has taken control of Chelsea
until the end of the season and will now be leading the team back out at
Wembley Stadium next month, in search of a ninth FA Cup title and a first since
2018.
Fernandez met a right-wing cross from Pedro Neto with a firm header low into
the net for the only goal. The Argentina midfielder recently courted
controversy by speaking publicly about wanting to live in Madrid, earning him a
two-match suspension by the team.
Leeds, seeking to reach a first FA Cup final since 1973, piled on the pressure
in the second half and Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez notably produced a
stunning, one-handed save to stop a piledriver from Anton Stach.
City rallied to beat second-tier Southampton 2-1 on Saturday to advance to the
final and stay on course for a domestic treble. Pep Guardiola's team already
has won the English League Cup and is battling with Arsenal for the Premier
League.
Chelsea was most recently in the final in 2022, when it lost to Liverpool on
penalties.
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