Chelsea faces a pivotal trip to Anfield for their 200th meeting with rivals Liverpool

 Chelsea faces a pivotal trip to Anfield for their 200th meeting with rivals Liverpool, marking a historic 95th visit to the stadium. With crucial Premier League points on the line, both teams are looking for a win to bolster their European spots and league standing.

Key Match Facts & Insights:

• Historic Rivalry: This is the 200th showdown between the two clubs and Chelsea's 95th visit to Anfield.
• European Hopes: The match is critical for European qualification, with up to nine Premier League clubs competing for spots.
• League Positioning: While Liverpool seeks a Champions League spot, Chelsea aims to climb from their current 9th position to as high as 6th in the final matches.
• Recent Form: Following a 2-1 victory earlier this season, Chelsea aims for their first league double over Liverpool since April 2014.
• Saturday 12:30pm Record: Chelsea has a strong record in this time slot, winning eight of their last nine, including a recent draw at Newcastle.

Mykhailo Mudryk's Suspension Puts Millions in Potential Bonuses at Risk for Former Club

 The ongoing suspension of Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk is reportedly creating significant financial consequences for his former club, Shakhtar Donetsk. As part of the €100m (approx. £88m) deal agreed in January 2023, the Ukrainian side negotiated performance-related bonuses that are now in jeopardy.

According to Shakhtar Donetsk CEO Sergei Palkin, the club risks losing up to €30m (£26m) in add-ons if the 25-year-old remains sidelined and is unable to meet specific playing criteria.

Suspension and Legal Challenges

Mudryk has been out of competitive action since November 2024 following a positive doping test, a situation that has since led to a prolonged disciplinary process. The Ukrainian international, who has maintained his innocence, was provisionally suspended in December 2024 and formally charged in June 2025.

The winger is now in the process of appealing a reported four-year ban to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). "We are waiting for the court's decision, and we don't have any information about when this will take place," Palkin told Ben Jacobs.

Contractual Uncertainty

Mudryk’s contract at Stamford Bridge, which runs until 2031, includes clauses based on team successes such as winning the Premier League or Champions League, alongside individual performance metrics.

Reports suggest the banned substance involved is meldonium. While the situation remains uncertain, Mudryk has previously thanked fans for their support during this challenging period, stating he has not given up on his career.

The Blues ain’t planning to sell Cole Palmer this summer

 Cole Palmer is a very important part of the squad and I personally believe we are bouncing back from this poor form.

Chelsea have no plans of selling Cole Palmer this summer. Chelsea want to strengthen the squad, not weaken it.

The club are under no financial pressure to sell their biggest stars, regardless of which European competition they qualify for.

Happy Birthday, "Cold" Palmer: Analyzing the Chelsea Star's Impact at 24

 Happy birthday to Chelsea FC’s standout playmaker, Cole Palmer, who turns 24 today, May 6, 2026.

Since arriving at Stamford Bridge from Manchester City, the England international has transformed into one of the most prolific creative forces in the Premier League. As he celebrates another year, we look at his remarkable journey and his importance to the Blues' tactical setup.

The Journey to Stamford Bridge

Born in Manchester in 2002, Palmer made the move to London in 2023, seeking more regular first-team football. He quickly surpassed expectations, establishing himself as a "Starboy" among Chelsea fans. His immediate impact was defined by his composure under pressure, earning him the nickname "Cold" and his signature shivering celebration.

2025/2026 Season: A Challenging Yet Crucial Year

Despite experiencing a challenging 2025/26 season hampered by early injury issues, Palmer has continued to show his elite capability when on the pitch. While his goal tally has not matched the dizzying heights of his debut campaign, he remains a key figure in the final third, recognized by many analysts as a top-tier attacking midfielder.

• Midfield General: His ability to see passes other players don't makes him invaluable.

• Key Stats: He has remained central to the team, contributing significantly to both scoring and creating opportunities in league and cup competitions.

Looking Ahead: The Future of Chelsea and England

With his 24th birthday, Palmer enters a prime age for a footballer. As Chelsea aims for long-term stability and success, building around talented individuals like Palmer is crucial. His ability to deliver in big games, a trait noted early in his career, makes him essential for both club and country as we move toward the final stages of the 2026 season and beyond.

Chelsea interim boss Calum McFarlane recently highlighted Palmer's ongoing importance, shooting down critics and affirming his talent.

Happy Birthday, Cole Palmer! 

"Chelsea’s DNA gone" - John Mikel Obi

 Following a tough streak of results at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea legend John Obi Mikel has shared his candid thoughts on the club's current trajectory. Fearing a slide into mediocrity, Mikel calls for urgent, foundational changes during the upcoming summer break. Watch this exclusive breakdown where he examines the pressing need for on-field leadership and a solid strategic plan to turn things around. Additionally, Mikel provides his take on the thrilling Premier League title chase, evaluating Arsenal’s prospects and highlighting crucial losses for Manchester City.

Chelsea fc is fast becomng a disaster as the day passes by under the New Owners

 Following a disgraceful defeat at Home to Nothingham Forest , it highlights a very disastrous situation of the current Chelsea state and this is mentally affecting me as a fan .

I have supported Chelsea since the past 23 years and i don't think i have experience a Bad and disappointing season as this....

I noticed the wrong move was made when Chelsea fc was decided to be taken away from the Former Owner, Roman .

It's quite disheartening and crazy to a large extent .  

Oscar has revealed his vast trophy collection as he reminisced on his career after his confirming his retirement last month.

 Former Chelsea and Brazil midfielder Oscar has officially retired from professional football at age 34 following a stellar career, recently showcasing his extensive trophy collection.

The playmaker, who returned to Brazil to play for São Paulo, decided to hang up his boots after being diagnosed with a heart condition known as vasovagal syncope, which caused him to collapse during training in late 2025.

A Storied Career and Trophy HaulUpon announcing his retirement, Oscar shared a photo of his numerous accolades, reflecting on a journey that spanned Europe, China, and South America:

Chelsea FC (2012–2016): Secured two Premier League titles, a League Cup, and the Europa League.

Shanghai Port (2017–2024): Won three Chinese Super League titles, an FA Cup, and a Super Cup during an eight-season spell.

Brazil National Team: Won the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup and secured a silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics.

Youth Level: Champion of the 2011 U-20 World Cup and South American Youth Championships.

Retirement and Legacy"Each trophy there carries hours of training, discipline, sacrifices, and also moments of overcoming obstacles that no one saw," Oscar wrote on Instagram

Chelsea Interim Manager is relishing the opportunity to take charge of Chelsea game on Monday at Stamford Bridge

After making the step up from the Academy to assist the first team since January, interim head coach Calum McFarlane is prepared for a massive Premier League showdown this Monday. McFarlane will lead the Blues against a strong Nottingham Forest side in a game that holds immense importance for both teams, albeit for very different positions in the table.

"I’m really looking forward to it," Calum stated ahead of the match. "We’ve got a really tough game as Nottingham Forest are a really good side. We’ll be well prepared for it, but it will be a great honour to lead a game at Stamford Bridge".

Having previously supported from the backroom, Calum acknowledges the unique feeling of leading the team from the dugout. "Obviously, I've been involved in games at Stamford Bridge as part of the backroom staff. It might have a different feel leading the team, but it will be a great honour in front of the Chelsea fans and we’ll be looking for a similar level of performance as we did at Wembley".

Key Focus: Following a positive result at Wembley, Chelsea aims to maintain momentum in the final month of the campaign.

Team News: The squad has received a boost, with fitness levels improving ahead of the Monday afternoon clash.

Chelsea Interim Manager Calum McFarlane hinted at his Conference about our next match against Nottingham Forest and Players recovery from Injury

 Reece james and Levi colwill are fully back to the training with the rest of the squad for Monday clash with Nottingham Forest but the Interim Manager is not ready to integrate them into the squad in a rush but instead make them recover fully. 

Both defenders returned to full team training while Levi Colwill was featured alongside the Chelsea U-21 side to enable him gain valuable match option for his recovery.

Quite: 

“Reece is back in training and Levi is back in training also - He Stated 

“Both are looking good which is really positive. We’re still a little way out from the game on Monday, so we will see how they do in the next few training sessions but are looking good”

Watch Full Conference Below: 

Chelsea captain Millie Bright has retired from football with immediate effect after 12 years

After a very beautiful career, an era comes to an End  as Chelsea women team most talented Captain Millie Bright has retired from football with immediate effect after 12 years, 314 appearances and 20 trophies.

Bright will be staying on at the club as a trustee of the #CFC Foundation and starting a new role as a Chelsea ambassador.

Her quite below: 

🗣️ Bright: “Representing Chelsea over the last 12 years has been everything to me, but I'm now ready to say goodbye to playing football. I’ve given all I can, and I never wanted to fight for any other badge.

“It’s now time, and I'm ready to go into a new era. I’m always going to be Chelsea, but just in a different way.”

Chelsea will mark Bright’s retirement on May 16 at their final WSL game of the season against Manchester United.

Chelsea star player visit Real Madrid again after being suspended for last visit

 Chelsea star midfielder Enzo Fernandez was spotted in Madrid attending the Mutua Madrid Open Tennis tournament . 

He was seen alongside Cucurella and Pedro, this visit seems delicate as the Argentine international whose admiration for the country capital not quite long put him in a difficult state with the Chelsea hierarchy whereby he was suspended for 2 vital matches by former manager Liam Rosenior.

Enzo who gave Chelsea an heroic performance in a win against Leeds United over the weekend in the Fa Cup semi final  and tjis will set us up against Big rivals Manchester City.

Fernandez is a kind of player who don’t get moved by the outside noise or rumour but instead he does his things to shut the critics on the pitch and in a very dynamic way .

Enzo is a winner and a fighter who possess much talent and gives his best to the team when mostly needed .

Chelsea fc will need Enzo Fernandez at his best as we look forward to end the season with a trophy as we get set to face Man city in the Fa cup final on May 16

🚨📸 IMAGEN EXCLUSIVA @elchiringuitotv

🇦🇷 Enzo Fernández, en Madrid para presenciar el MMOpen.

📹 @marcosbenito9 pic.twitter.com/NpxbWu1BQm

— El Chiringuito TV (@elchiringuitotv) April 28, 2026

Chelsea to make Fulham Boss top target for the vacant managerial role

Chelsea sporting directors are considering including Fulham manager Marco Silva as a candidate for their head coach role, with plans to contact his camp. 

Silva’s contract expires at the end of the season, making him an attractive, accessible target, while other candidates like Xabi Alonso and Andoni Iraola are also being considered.

Key Details regarding the potential appointment:

Aligned Leadership: Chelsea's sporting directors are in agreement that Silva should be in the running to fill the vacancy.

Contract Situation: As Silva’s contract with Fulham expires in summer 2026, he is a "cleaner" option requiring no compensation negotiations.

Agent Connection: Silva is represented by Jorge Mendes, who has a strong relationship with Chelsea's ownership, potentially easing negotiations.

Candidate Profile: 

Silva, noted for his structured approach and Premier League experience, is being considered alongside other candidates including [Xabi Alonso] and [Andoni Iraola].

Contradicting Reports: While some reports suggest Silva is a top target, others indicate Chelsea is performing wider checks on several candidates, including [Bournemouth's Iraola].

It is going to be a difficult week ahead in search of a preferred candidate to be the next Chelsea manager.

Chelsea fans are increasingly looking forward to see who the owners are bringing in as the manager and this will have a high impact on the incoming and outgoing players especially the top players in the team 

Chelsea Legend send strong warning to the owners

 It's been a ups and down level of form at Stamford bridge and this has led to the sacking of the Manager Liam Rosenior . 

The frustration keeps growing among the fans since the take over from the current Chelsea owners hasn't really been bringing good result. 

Chelsea former player and Legend Mikel Obi has made his frustration known on his Podcast  to the public that Chelsea fc shouldn't be an experimental club for no one...

Statement below:

"Listen mate we're not an experiment, you've done experimenting with Chelsea ; we're a ready made team, established, winners, big big trophies, biggest team in London"

"Don't come and experiment with us, no, get managers that are ready made and experienced at winning titles, whether that's as a manager or player"

Chelsea fc showing strong interest in Anthony Gordon

 Chelsea has so far shows that they need a ready made players for the Premier League or with Premier League experience . 

Anthony Gordon was once on Chelsea radar before making a move to Newcastle . Now Chelsea look to secure the signature of the English man regardless of UCL football for next season .

With Chelsea recent struggles, it shows they need players who will come in and make immediate impact ....no more clueless project but a clear one and that's to win matches and trophies.

Gordon will be a great addition to the club with stats shown below:

Appearances (Sub)

26 (2)

Goals

6

Assists

2

Attack

• Goals

  6

• XG

  8.83

• XA

  3.37

• Shots On Target Inside the Box

  14

• Shots On Target Outside the Box

  11

• Touches in the Opposition Box

  84

• Penalties (Scored) (Scored)

  3 (3)

• Hit Woodwork

  2

• Crosses (Completed %)

  67 (21%)

Possession

• Passes (Completed %)

  517 (82%)

• Long Passes (Completed %)

  26 (65%)

• Corners Taken

  4

Physical

• Minutes Played

  1,814

• Dribbles (Completed %)

  70 (47%)

• Duels Won

  100

• Aerial Duels Won

  8

Defence

• Total Tackles

  19

• Interceptions

  3

Discipline

• Red Cards

  1

• Yellow Cards

  3

• Fouls

  13

• Offsides

  5

"We still have up to 5 Finals to play" Trevoh Chalobah

 With only five games remaining in our season, Trevoh Chalobah believes each match will be crucial as the Blues look to build momentum ahead of our FA Cup final and the Premier League run-in.

It was a performance built on grit, determination and hard work as Enzo Fernandez headed Chelsea to a 1-0 win at Wembley over Leeds in the FA Cup semi-final, with Trev playing a vital role in keeping a clean sheet.

Making nine clearances, eight headed clearances, alongside plenty of tackles, it was a solid and combative individual display from Trev, with the centre-half highlighting the importance of experience in crunch moments like yesterday.

‘It's just hunger, determination, and wanting to win,’ Trev explained. ‘It’s wanting to win headers, those little things, that's what's needed. And when we do that, our quality shows.

‘When obviously things aren't going your way, and results don't go our way, I think that's what we can hold on to because we've shown it during parts of this season. It was the same conversation in the semi-final – we had to show our mentality, our winning habit, and our winning spirit.’

That winning spirit is something Trev recognises as crucial to the fabric of Chelsea Football Club, and booking our place in the showpiece event against Manchester City in May takes us a step closer to continuing to embody just that.

He continued: ‘It’s another final for us. Last year we were in finals [UEFA Conference League and Club World Cup] and the year before too [with the Carabao Cup]. So, we have that mentality, and it’s good that we showed that. We all knew what the goal was: to win no matter what.

‘For us, it's just focusing on what we have. There are another five finals ahead: four in the Premier League and then, obviously, here [at Wembley] in the FA Cup. We have to go into them with the quality and hunger that we know we can show.’

The 26-year-old recognises that the past few weeks have been tough, but Sunday’s display showed plenty of promise for what's to come.

‘When you don't win games, it's hard to get that determination back,’ Chalobah reflected. ‘For us, it's just about resetting and getting our standards back. As I said, it's still the same players we had at the start of the season when we were flying.

It's not like we lose our abilities overnight. It's just obviously resetting and getting that winning feeling and that mentality back. For us, we just have to block out all the noise and trust in ourselves, speak between ourselves, communicate and trust in our abilities.

‘That's what we need to do from now until the end of the season. As I said, whether you do badly or do well, there's always going to be people who talk. It’s important we just focus on what we have in front of us.’

Calum McFarlane on ‘winner’ and ‘fighter’ Enzo Fernandez

Calum McFarlane praised match-winner Enzo Fernandez’s all-round performance against Leeds United, highlighting the Argentine's habit of producing decisive contributions in big matches for Chelsea, and explained why he made the tough choice to start Tosin Adarabioyo ahead of Jorrel Hato at Wembley.

It was Fernandez who led the Blues out as captain in Reece James’ absence for Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final, and it was also the midfielder who headed home the only goal of the game to book our place in the final.

Not for the first time, Enzo put in an impressive performance in a high-profile game, linking our attack with the midfield in an advanced role, ahead of Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia in the deeper central positions

Our No.8 netted his 13th goal of the season in all competitions – second only to Joao Pedro for Chelsea – as he continued to demonstrate what a dangerous presence he can be in the opposition box.

‘It's something we rely on a lot, that's why he's changed position a lot over the last few years,’ McFarlane reflected.

‘He's played deeper, he's played as a 10, he's moved about, but I think he's such a threat in the box that the higher up you play him – and he can drop down and he can drift – but the higher up you play him, he can really cause opponents problems in that left half-space and attacking the back stick.’

That was exactly what happened at Wembley on Sunday, as he drove into space to get between the defenders with a late run, perfectly timed to meet Neto’s delivery.

It is something we have seen him do in a Chelsea shirt on a number of occasions – including when McFarlane was previously sat in the dugout away at Manchester City in January – even if our interim head coach was quick to point out that Fernandez brings more than goals to the team.

‘I said to him at the end: "You like scoring at the back post for me!" and he just laughed,’ Calum added.

‘He does that really well; he's done it all year. It's one of his biggest attributes that when you attack down the right, the timing of his runs, his ability to get good distance and height on his jump, and his heading technique is really good.

‘He's a winner – he's got so much talent, he's got so much fire. He's massive for this group and the best thing about Enzo is that he can do a bit of everything, but when it gets tough, you see the fight in him.

‘You see him driving the group on, you see him making tackles, you see him fighting for every loose ball. So he was exceptional and deserved his man of the match award.’

McFarlane then discussed his defensive line against Leeds, highlighting the important role of Tosin in countering the Yorkshire side’s aerial threat, after he got the nod over Hato to partner Trevoh Chalobah at the back.

‘It was one of the most difficult decisions in the preparation for this game, because Jorrel Hato has been probably our best player over the last five or six games.

‘But I decided to go with Tosin, mainly down to the Dominic Calvert-Lewin threat, and Tosin probably being the best match-up to defend that. Also set pieces are a massive part of their game.

‘Tosin's a great leader, a great character, but I fully trust Jorrel and Jorrel could have played in this game, as could Wesley Fofana. So you make decisions as a manager and you hope you get them right, and I thought Tosin was exceptional.’

Sanchez reflect on a ‘massive’ win and the chance of ending the season with silverware

 Robert Sanchez labelled Chelsea’s FA Cup semi-final victory over Leeds as ‘massive’, with the Blues goalkeeper hopeful that we can end the season having lifted a trophy at Wembley.

It was a determined display on the pitch from the Blues under the famous arch, and Enzo Fernandez’s first-half header was the difference between the sides. Rob also helped keep Leeds at bay with a couple of vital saves - one with his right boot and the other with his right glove.

And after securing a place at the showpiece event on May 16, where we’ll meet Manchester City for the first time in an FA Cup final, Sanchez believes this result and performance can be a platform for the Blues to build upon with five huge games remaining in the season.

‘Today was massive,’ the goalkeeper said. ‘After a tough season with a lot of changes, if we can go into the summer with a trophy, it will be amazing. We need to keep going for the next few weeks, and it will give us a positive boost.

‘I think we’ve had a couple of tough weeks, but the boys have reacted incredibly in training. Obviously, you can see it on the pitch, the reaction from the boys, how everyone was running for the ball, fighting for each other.

‘We got the win and the way we were thinking before the game is that it’s a chance to get to another final, and we wanted to do that.’

As our shot-stopper, the 28-year-old inevitably pointed to the importance of our clean sheet. But he also highlighted the work of our defenders in making his job easier.

‘A clean sheet and a win – it’s massive,’ he continued. ‘There were a couple of good saves, but it doesn’t come from just me. There were a couple of blocks from our defenders; they kept heading the ball away and fighting for each other, as I said. We scored the early goal, and we defended well.

‘I remember from the start of the season we kept nine or ten clean sheets in 15 games, so I think it’s good to get back into a positive mood with another clean sheet. Now we have five games to go, and we’ll do our best.’

After a disappointing defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League midweek, Sanchez was pleased to be able to give the supporters a moment to remember too.

‘We reacted very well,’ he said. ‘We know that now it’s on us to perform well, to try to get to a final and win a final. If we perform like today, we know it’s possible to do all that. The supporters were brilliant today.’

McFarlane: Important to break the momentum with a win for the fans

 After Chelsea booked a place in this season’s FA Cup final by overcoming Leeds United, Calum McFarlane explained why it was a vital result to hit the reset button on our recent form going into the last few games of the season, which now includes a return trip to Wembley.

In a fiercely contested semi-final at the national stadium, it was the Blues who dominated the game throughout, even if it was a solitary first-half goal by Enzo Fernandez that proved decisive.

McFarlane was back in the Chelsea dugout for this big game at Wembley as interim head coach, a role he will fulfil until the end of the season. Speaking after securing our progress in the FA Cup, he explained why this could be a crucial win for the Blues, beyond the obvious motivation of a final now to come.

‘It was important to get the win,’ he said. ‘I'm not sure if that’s in relation to having an FA Cup final or a carrot to look forward to, I think it was important to break the momentum and the form that we were in.

We were confident that we would do that today and I think that completely changes the feel within the group. I think that was probably more important and gives us confidence going into the next five games.

‘We spoke in the lead up to the game, that we've got a minimum of five games left, potentially six if we win against Leeds, and that it's tough in this moment when you've been on a losing run, but one moment, one result, one performance can change that.

‘That's what we've been going after in terms of shifting the momentum in the group. I did reinforce that at the end of today’s game, but it goes without saying, we're at Chelsea Football Club, we need to try and win every game. So that is our target from now until the end of the season.’

McFarlane and the Blues now have five games remaining of this season, with four fixtures left in the race for European qualification in the Premier League, in addition to our return to Wembley on 16 May to face Manchester City in the FA Cup final.

‘We want to win every game for the fans in every competition,’ Calum continued. ‘It's unfortunately not worked out like that this year, but we want to win every single game from now until the end of the season, as you do in any season, but it's not about extra motivation.

‘We want to do it for ourselves, we want to do it for the fans and the club, everyone. The FA Cup is a massive competition, historic, and we want to win the final and win every Premier League game remaining.’

Gallery: Blues celebrate at Wembley after sealing FA Cup final place

 For the 17th time in our history, Chelsea will compete in the FA Cup final after the Blues defeated Leeds United at Wembley this afternoon.

Led by interim head coach Calum McFarlane at Wembley, we controlled the last-four tie and a first-half goal from Enzo Fernandez proved the difference between the two sides.

After the full-time whistle was blown, the Chelsea players and staff made their way over to the Blues faithful to celebrate reaching yet another final.

We will return to Wembley on May 16 and bid to lift the trophy once again. Manchester City, whom we have never faced in the competition's showpiece game, will be our opponents.

You can view our favourite images from the post-match celebrations on the Wembley pitch below. Enjoy

FA Cup semi-final report: Chelsea 1-0 Leeds

 Chelsea triumphed over our old rivals Leeds United in the FA Cup once again, this time Enzo Fernandez's first-half goal booking the Blues' place in the final with a dominant win at Wembley Stadium.

In truth, the narrow margin of our victory on the scoreboard hardly reflected the extent to which we controlled the game on the pitch. Leeds carried a threat on the counter-attack, but for the vast majority of the match Chelsea were in full control, while Robert Sanchez was on hand to deal with anything which got through.

The Spaniard was called into action early on to deny Brenden Aaronson, but then Joao Pedro struck the post as we began to take charge with some controlled passing play and the occasional display of flair in the final third.

That paid off midway through the first half, when Fernandez timed his run to perfection to meet Pedro Neto's cross and head us into the lead from close range. Joao Pedro and Alejandro Garnacho both went close to extending our advantage either side of half-time, while Sanchez produced another good save to deny Anton Stach as Leeds tried to fight back in the second half.

However, from the moment we took the lead there only ever looked like being one winner of this semi-final, and it will be Chelsea who return here to Wembley in a few weeks to make our 17th appearance in an FA Cup final.

The selection

Calum McFarlane made three changes to the line-up as he returned to the dugout as interim head coach. Robert Sanchez continued between the posts and was protected by a back four of Malo Gusto, Trevoh Chalobah, Tosin Adarabioyo and Marc Cucurella.

Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia started in midfield, while Alejandro Garnacho came into the attack, alongside Enzo Fernandez and Pedro Neto. Joao Pedro, after missing our last two matches, was back to spearhead the Chelsea front line.

Big day on the big stage

The match started to a huge roar all around a packed Wembley Stadium, as these two old rivals did battle in the FA Cup once more. It was a typically feisty start, as we have come to expect from games between these two teams, whatever the occasion.

The Leeds supporters were lifted when they were awarded a free-kick in a dangerous position, but it looped harmlessly over Sanchez’s crossbar. Before long it was Chelsea who were stamping our authority on the game, and Pedro Neto drew the game’s first save with a low drive from outside the box, but it was too close to Lucas Perri to trouble the goalkeeper.

A series of fouls made it difficult to fall into our rhythm during the opening exchanges, although to the referee’s credit he tried to play advantage when he could. Joao Pedro was on the receiving end of some particularly heavy-handed defending, but helped us start to show our threat by lifting an audacious touch over his own and Ao Tanaka’s head to open up play.

Moises Caicedo chipped a clever pass into the box which drew a few gasps around Wembley, but Garnacho just ran out of pitch chasing it down. Just as we were starting to gather some momentum, though, we were grateful to Sanchez, who produced a brilliant save with his legs to keep out Aaronson when the American got in behind the Blues defence.

Making the pressure count

With 20 minutes on the clock and our dominance demonstrated by our 81 per cent of possession so far, Joao Pedro went a whisker away from opening the scoring. It was a slick, quick couple of passes by Romeo Lavia and Fernandez which set the Brazilian haring towards goal. From an angle he beat Perri, but not the woodwork, has his low left-footed shot came back off the near post.

However, just moments later, Chelsea did have the lead our performance deserved, this time Fernandez getting the final touch. The goal came from us applying pressure high up the pitch, forcing Pascal Struijk to cede possession in a dangerous area. From there, Neto lifted a teasing cross and Fernandez was only too pleased to ghost in unmarked and head in the opener.

Joao enjoying himself

Joao Pedro was continuing to show why his return to the team was such a big boost for the Blues. His hold-up and linking play had been excellent, while he continued to demonstrate his own individual threat with an instinctive chest-control and volley on the swivel, although it drifted just wide to deny him a brilliant goal.

As we edged towards the half-time break with a narrow 1-0 lead, we were still firmly in control of possession. The stadium held its breath when Garnacho drove the ball across the six-yard box after a strong run by Neto opened up space in the final third, but there was nobody there to meet it and Leeds were let off the hook. And so it remained advantage Chelsea with 45 minutes played at Wembley, but that advantage was still a slender one.

Daniel Farke looked to change things up after seeing his team second best so far, introducing Joe Rodon and Anton Stach during the break. It nearly had an instant impact, when the ball dropped for Stach on the edge of the box and he smashed it towards the top corner, but Sanchez reacted brilliantly with a strong hand to tip it over the bar.

Before long the Blues were back on the offensive, when a lovely piece of skill by Gusto was followed by a smart Fernandez flick, but Joao Pedro was eventually crowded out in the box before he could get a clean shot away. Garnacho then had an effort deflected over the bar as we continued looking for a second goal, but we had to remain wary of a Leeds side showing more fight since the break, with Sanchez called into action again by a Dominic Calvert-Lewin header.

Keeping a tight grip

The Yorkshire side definitely started to show more threat as the second half went on, especially on the counter, while they began to press higher up to pitch, trying to cause us more problems. There was also a worrying moment when Sanchez went down needing treatment, but thankfully he was back up and ready to continue in time to watch a Leeds free-kick drift wide of his near post.

However, as Leeds became increasingly desperate, we were able to keep them largely at arm's length during the final 20 minutes of the match, helped by the introduction of Andrey Santos and Cole Palmer from the bench.

With control of the possession and the combination of Tosin and Chalobah keeping the Whites' strikers well marshalled, Sanchez was hardly called into action. A few hopeful efforts from range which drifted high and wide was the best our opponents could muster, as we saw things out through eight minutes of added time to book our return ticket to the national stadium in the FA Cup.

What it means

Chelsea will return to Wembley in three weeks' time to take on Manchester City in the FA Cup final on Saturday 16 May, with silverware up for grabs for the winner.

What is next

The Blues have a bit of time to recover and work on the training pitch with no midweek fixture, before we get back to Premier League action on Monday 4 May, with a 3pm bank holiday kick-off against Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge.

The teams

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; Gusto, Chalobah, Tosin, Cucurella; Caicedo, Lavia (Santos 65); Neto, Fernandez (c), Garnacho (Palmer 71); Joao Pedro (Delap 90+8)

Unused subs: Sharman-Lowe, Acheampong, Fofana, Hato, Essugo, Derry

Scorer: Fernandez 23

Booked: Caicedo 60, Palmer 78, Neto 90+4

Leeds United (3-4-2-1): Perri; Justin (Rodon h-t), Bijol (Stach h-t), Struijk; Bogle, Ampadu (c), Tanaka (Nmecha 74), Gudmundsson; Aaronson (Longstaff 86), Okafor (Gnonto 74); Calvert-Lewin

Unused subs: Darlow, Bornauw, James, Piroe

Booked: Struijk 75, Ampadu 78, Nmecha 84, Bogle 90+4

Referee: Jarred Gillett

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