Hire, fire, final - Chelsea's player power may be ugly, but it wins

Now, from the wreckage of a chaotic campaign, Chelsea could perform the feat again - providing the players who have gone missing so often this season show up against Manchester City and play to their capabilities.

It was clear from Rosenior's latter days that he had lost the faith of the dressing room. A dismal 3-0 loss at Brighton was the final straw for an ownership who desperately wanted the 41-year-old - brought in from another of their clubs, Strasbourg - to succeed as a symbol of their multi-club model.

It is not exactly a glowing reference for Chelsea's players that the sight of interim head coach Calum McFarlane on the touchline - or indeed anyone who was not Rosenior - prompted an instant uplift in performance and attitude.

This was a better day for Chelsea's much-criticised hierarchy, with co-owner Behdad Eghbali in close proximity at Wembley to England head coach Thomas Tuchel, the first manager to be shown the door under his rule when he was dismissed on the new regime's 100th day in September 2022.

'Give a player an inch, they take a mile'

Central to it all was match-winner Fernandez, the game's outstanding performer. The Argentine's first half-header, planted firmly past Lucas Perri after 23 minutes, turning out to be the decisive moment.

It ended a run of 498 minutes without a Chelsea goal against Premier League clubs in all competitions. Victory was secured with their first clean sheet against top-flight opposition since 17 January.

This was the same Fernandez recently given a two-match suspension by Chelsea after Rosenior said he had "crossed a line" following their Champions League exit against Paris St-Germain by giving an interview hinting at a departure.

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

At Wembley, what should be normal service for the World Cup winner was resumed. Fernandez was the inspiration behind Chelsea's win, not just with his goal but all-round effort.

He took his goal tally this season to 13. The only midfielder to score more for a Premier League club in 2025-26 is Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White with 16.

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

"They're a product of the system they are in and in modern-day football," Green said on BBC Radio 5 Live.

"It's ugly but they have all the power and it was epitomised by Fernandez. He ran the game. It was down to him how they played. That is not healthy for a football club but for Chelsea it gets them to finals.

"Give a player an inch, they take a mile.

"Chelsea do what Chelsea do. They had one big moment in the game, Leeds had three or four, but didn't take them and that was the difference."

And what a difference a new face in the technical area makes - especially amid the dysfunction and turbulence that characterises Chelsea.