Chelsea secured a 1-0 victory over Leeds in the FA Cup semi-final, with Enzo Fernandez scoring the decisive goal. The match highlighted broader issues within the game, as the atmosphere at Wembley diminished significantly.
Enzo Fernandez (left) was the match-winner for Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final against Leeds (The FA via Getty Images)
For an FA Cup semi-final that didnāt offer much to talk about beyond Enzo Fernandez scoring the winner, Chelseaās 1-0 win could provoke a lot of other discussion. Some of it served to quieten even this raucous Leeds United crowd by the end.
By that point, you wouldnāt have thought an FA Cup final appearance was at stake, given how quickly Wembley emptied out. Another debate could of course be had about staging semi-finals here. Still, thereās something rather sorry about even the Leeds players saluting scores of empty seats.
Maybe that just shows how professional Chelseaās performance had been. Outside a few spikes of activity like Brenden Aaronsonās early shot and a piledriver from Anton Stach, Calum McFarlaneās side just shut Leeds out. None of the energy that weād recently witnessed from Daniel Farkeās side was evident. Or, at least, none of it was allowed to be evident. There wasnāt even really a late Leeds flurry.
You could say they didnāt rise to the clubās biggest occasion in years but that doesnāt feel fair, or true. Witness the desperate defending when Joao Pedro almost turned in a chance just after half-time.
Leeds were clearly desperate for this. Itās just not that easy, certainly not in the modern game. Look at the difference in expenditure.
Chelsea won the FA Cup semi-final against Leeds with a final score of 1-0.
Enzo Fernandez scored the winning goal for Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final.
The crowd at Wembley was sparse, with many empty seats visible by the end of the match.
Chelsea's professional performance, coupled with the lackluster atmosphere, reflects broader concerns about engagement and excitement in the game.
Dominic Roybal, a 2017 graduate and former player, has been hired as the head coach for Pojoaque Valley boys basketball. He replaces Ryan Cordova and will lead the team in the 2026-27 season as they return to Class 3A competition.
Mike Tomlin predicts Aaron Rodgers will return to the Steelers in 2026.
Matt Fitzpatrick and brother Alex win the Zurich Classic; Matt's third win this season!
Tampa Bay Buccaneers surprise with Rueben Bain Jr. at No. 15 in NFL Draft
Carson Hocevar celebrates his first NASCAR Cup Series win at Talladega!
Diamondbacks overcome 5-run deficit to defeat Padres 12-7 in Mexico City!
See every story in Sports ā including breaking news and analysis.
Chelsea have generally had a miserable season where the fans have frequently protested about the ownership, and yet here they are again in an FA Cup final and 90 minutes from potentially winning a third trophy in a year. This obviously isnāt to defend the ownership. Itās more a comment on how the modern game works.
The financial differences werenāt the only gap, though. There was also the chasm between the discipline Chelsea displayed here and the rabble at Brighton on Tuesday. How do you explain that? McFarlane naturally didnāt go into too much detail, other than to say that his side needed to ābreak the momentumā of the past few games and that there was a āfocusā.
So, the obvious question: where was that focus for Liam Rosenior? The transformation in performance should really be remarkable but is of course fairly routine in football. It happens a lot with a change of a manager. It isnāt all that simple, either. If players āarenāt havingā a manager, to use the vernacular, there can be all sorts of conscious and subconscious effects. They just donāt feel as motivated, as focused, to use some of McFarlaneās words.
Chelsea showed a unity and purpose wholly absent in the calamitous defeat to Brighton (AP)
The fact that Fernandez got the winner nevertheless brings a greater symbolism, given that he is a Chelsea dressing-room leader who was the subject of a two-game ban. He was also there shrugging his shoulders at the fans.
Well, he knew exactly what to do here. Fernandez was brilliant. It could be argued that one of the main differences between what went before and this was the Argentine performing to his level, but there was of course more to it.
Chelsea were just better structured, with everything just looking like it made sense. Leeds could barely get near their goal. On the one occasion they did, Aaronson may regret not taking the ball on further. Robert Sanchez did save well.
Really, there were improvements in Chelsea performances all over the pitch. Joao Pedro, in particular, restored a verve to attack. Although it was only 1-0, the game felt close to settled as a contest once Fernandez plundered that header. Long stretches of it were, in truth, boring. Chelsea didnāt allow Leeds to do anything exciting. This was admittedly aided along by some conspicuous time-wasting, which is an issue authorities surely have to start looking at more seriously.
Leeds were left reeling after being largely shut out by Chelsea (Getty)
And, after all that, there is then the symbolism of what this 2026 FA Cup final will showcase. Thereās no Crystal Palace this time. Their uplifting victory naturally seems like an inevitable aberration. Southampton-Leeds United came close to offering similar, and thereās little doubt there would have been more meaning to such a final. Manchester City and Chelsea have after all been in 16 finals between them over the past 20 years.
Theyāre well used to trips to Wembley, and generally have grander ambitions. Thatās all because theyāre just able to spend more.
A wider context to this is also unavoidable, especially with so much current football discussion. Only this season, Chelsea were punished for breaching Premier League rules in a case that brings significant doubt over their title wins of 2015 and 2017. They are still the subject of a related investigation from the very organisers of this competition: the Football Association. Manchester City are meanwhile still the subject of an even further-reaching case, that goes back to early 2019, and had its hearing concluded as long ago as December 2024. The club insist on their innocence.
Regardless of the outcome, though, it is an absurdity that the case is still ongoing and there is no resolution. And this is what surrounds English footballās great traditional occasion. Before this semi-final, Chelsea fans were enduring an utterly miserable season - and yet they now have a day Leeds can only dream about.