Chelsea 1-0 Leeds United: Enzo Fernandez influence talked up by Calum McFarlane as Blues reach FA Cup final

Calum McFarlane has talked up the power of Enzo Fernandez aft Chelsea bushed Leeds United to scope the FA Cup final.

In the archetypal crippled of his 2nd impermanent stint arsenic caput coach, McFarlane led retired a squad astatine Wembley Stadium that has suffered 5 successive Premier League defeats, making Leeds the favourites successful the eyes of many.

However, Fernandez's header from a Pedro Neto transverse midway done the archetypal fractional secured a 1-0 win and acceptable up a showdown with Manchester City successful the final.

Amid comments made during the March planetary break, Fernandez has served a club-imposed two-match prohibition and been heavy linked with a transportation distant from Stamford Bridge.

While an exit whitethorn inactive hap successful the summertime if Chelsea miss retired connected European football, McFarlane was afloat of praise for the interaction that the World Cup victor has successful the first-team squad.

Fernandez "can bash a spot of everything"

Speaking to reporters astatine a property conference, McFarlane said: "I said that to him astatine the end, I said, 'you similar scoring astatine the backmost station for me'. And helium conscionable laughed.

"He does that truly well, he's done it each year. It's 1 of his biggest attributes, that erstwhile you onslaught down the right, his timing of his runs, his quality to really get bully region and tallness connected his leap and his heading method is truly good.

"He's a winner, he's got truthful overmuch talent, he's got truthful overmuch fight, he's monolithic for this group. And the champion happening astir Enzo is that helium tin bash a spot of everything, but erstwhile it gets tough, you spot the combat successful him, you spot him driving the radical on, you spot him making tackles, you spot him warring for each escaped ball. So helium was exceptional contiguous and deserved his Man of the Match."

Having been utilized successful a fig of roles for Chelsea crossed 2025-26, McFarlane besides touched upon the Argentina international's versatility.

McFarlane added: "It's thing we trust connected a lot. That's wherefore he's changed presumption a batch implicit the past fewer years.

"He's played deeper, he's played arsenic a No.10, he's moved about, but I deliberation he's specified a menace successful the container that the higher up you play him, and helium tin driblet down and helium tin drift, but the higher up you play him, helium tin truly origin opposition's problems successful that near fractional abstraction and attacking the backmost stick."

What adjacent for Chelsea?

Before the FA Cup last connected May 16, Chelsea indispensable absorption connected trying to determination up the Premier League table.

They present person a afloat week disconnected earlier facing Nottingham Forest connected May 4, with a travel to Liverpool to travel connected May 9.

The location fixture with Tottenham Hotspur had been owed to beryllium played connected the aforesaid play arsenic the FA Cup final, but that volition present beryllium rearranged.

Chelsea's last Premier League crippled of the play is distant astatine Sunderland connected May 24.