Chelsea Beat Leeds United 1-0 at Wembley to Reach FA Cup Final Against Manchester City

Chelsea reached the FA Cup final after a 1-0 win against Leeds United at Wembley, with Enzo Fernandez scoring the decisive first-half header.

The BBC said the semi-final was decided by Fernandez’s “first-half header,” and it described the match as both “some of the best” and “some of the worst” of Chelsea’s season.

BBC

Liam Rosenior, who had been in charge for only “106 days,” was shown the door after the run of results that preceded the Wembley turnaround.

The BBC framed the victory as a return of the “fight and determination” that had been absent during “five league losses without scoring.”

The BBC also set the final date and venue, saying Chelsea’s prize is “an FA Cup final against Manchester City back at Wembley on 16 May.”

The Mirror similarly said Chelsea “finally produced a performance against Leeds at Wembley,” and it tied the result to the caretaker period under Calum McFarlane.

The Mirror also emphasized that Fernandez had been “banned by his own club from playing in the last round,” yet still became the match-winner at Wembley.

The BBC described Rosenior’s dismissal as the end of a turbulent spell, noting he was “shown the door after only 106 days” and that Chelsea had suffered “a desperate run of five league losses without scoring.”

It added that the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley was a contrast to Rosenior’s “latter days,” when it said he had “lost the faith of the dressing room.”

BBC

The BBC also connected the timing of the change to a specific result, calling “A dismal 3-0 loss at Brighton” the “final straw” for an ownership that wanted the “41-year-old” Rosenior.

The Mirror echoed the rapid managerial shift, saying “Calum McFarlane was put in caretaker charge just four days after they sacked Liam Rosenior.”

It also claimed McFarlane needed “special permission” to take charge because he “does not have the necessary UEFA Pro Licence,” while the owners were still willing to put him in charge.

The New York Times framed the same period as a breakdown of authority, saying Rosenior’s “demise, less than four months into a six-and-a-half-year contract” was “in part the result of his lack of authority over his former squad.”

It quoted Rosenior’s Sky Sports remarks after the Brighton match, including “Whether you’re playing for this club, at this elite football club, or any football club, to be even accused of throwing the towel in is unacceptable.”

The New York Times also described the end of Rosenior’s tenure as linked to results and belief, saying Chelsea had not performed “like a team imbued with total belief in their head coach.”

In the BBC’s account, interim head coach Calum McFarlane was on the touchline at Wembley and immediately became part of the narrative about attitude and character.

“Getty Images Sport Rosenior axed after Brighton rout Chelsea are back in the market for a new manager after BlueCo terminated Rosenior’s brief tenure following a shambolic 3-0 defeat at Brighton”

Goal

The BBC said the sight of McFarlane “on the touchline - or indeed anyone who was not Rosenior - prompted an instant uplift in performance and attitude.”

It quoted McFarlane telling BBC Radio 5 Live after the game that the team’s character had been “questioned a lot and rightly so at times” but insisted it was not his doing.

McFarlane added, “I wouldn't queston their character,” and then linked the issue to results, saying “It's been questioned because of the results.”

The BBC also described Enzo Fernandez as the match-winner and “the game's outstanding performer,” saying his goal and “all-round effort” drove the win.

It said Fernandez’s header came “after 23 minutes,” and it noted the goal ended “a run of 498 minutes without a Chelsea goal against Premier League clubs in all competitions.”

The BBC further reported that Fernandez had recently been given “a two-match suspension” by Chelsea after Rosenior said he had “crossed a line” following their Champions League exit against Paris St-Germain.

The New York Times added a different lens on Fernandez’s role, describing his time away with Argentina and saying his interviews “encourag[ed] speculation about a possible move to Real Madrid.”

The sources diverged sharply on what the Chelsea crisis meant and who carried responsibility for it.

The BBC framed the story as “player power” that “may be ugly, but it wins,” while also arguing that Rosenior’s approach lacked the qualities needed for a head coach.

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It described Roman Abramovich’s “hire 'em, fire 'em” strategy as both destabilizing and a “catalyst for great glory,” then contrasted it with BlueCo’s recent managerial churn.

The New York Times pushed the blame toward the players’ relationship with Rosenior, saying “Chelsea’s players helped create this mess. Now they must clear it up,” and it argued Rosenior’s authority failure was “in part” tied to his lack of control.

It quoted Rosenior’s Sky Sports line about “throwing the towel in,” and it then cited Dean Ashton’s definition from The Athletic FC podcast, saying “When we hear: ‘They’re not playing for the manager’, I would say it’s more a case that you don’t really believe in what the manager is trying to get you to do.”

The Mirror, by contrast, leaned into a more personal and managerial framing, saying Chelsea “had downed tools under the management of Liam Rosenior” before producing the Wembley performance.

It also claimed the owners’ willingness to use McFarlane despite his lack of a UEFA Pro Licence showed how the club ran itself “depending on who the manager is.”

Goal’s account added a different angle by quoting William Gallas urging Chelsea to hire “that experienced head,” and it used the language of discipline, with Gallas saying “I think you need that type of manager who is a little bit more harsh on the players.”

With the FA Cup final set for 16 May at Wembley against Manchester City, the immediate stakes for Chelsea are silverware after a “shambolic season,” according to the BBC.

The BBC said Chelsea’s players and their “derided owners BlueCo” now have “the opportunity to save a shambolic season with silverware,” and it described the club’s history of turning chaotic campaigns into trophies.

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It also noted that the win ended a specific scoring drought, saying it was “their first clean sheet against top-flight opposition since 17 January,” and it highlighted Fernandez’s season tally, saying he “took his goal tally this season to 13.”

The Mirror similarly framed the final as a chance to “end up being another glorious season with a trophy at the end of it,” while warning that “it could end up being another glorious season” depends on seeing off Manchester City on May 16.

Goal’s report shifted attention to the managerial question after Rosenior’s sacking, saying Chelsea are “back in the market for a new manager” after BlueCo terminated Rosenior’s tenure following the “shambolic 3-0 defeat at Brighton.”

It quoted William Gallas arguing Chelsea should choose between “Cesc Fabregas” for the long-term and an “experienced head” for short-term success, explicitly naming “Diego Simone” as an example of a coach who can “win things very soon with Chelsea.”

Goal also reported that Simeone is “contracted to Atletico until June 2027,” and it listed his trophy haul including “two La Liga titles” and “two Europa League trophies,” while describing his Champions League semi-final against Arsenal.

Squawka, meanwhile, treated Rosenior’s future as the next storyline, saying he has been “sacked by Chelsea” and asking “Where could Liam Rosenior go next?”