Three things we learned from Chelsea win as improvements deliver a shot at silverware | OneFootball

A much-improved performance gets Chelsea back on track following a dismal run of form

From Chelsea, it was all so much better.

Performance levels fell so appallingly low in late-stage Liam Rosenior era, yet the Blues righted many of those wrongs at Wembley as they prevailed 1-0 against Leeds to reach the FA Cup final.

Enzo Fernandez scored the only goal of a game in which Chelsea were the better team.

Improvements deliver a shot at silverware

The Blues’ harder graft and more polished display was not obvious initially. The first 30 seconds saw two players contest the same ball and lose out, and then a free-kick needlessly gifted to Leeds just outside the Chelsea box.

Soon, however, it would become clear that the ruthless decision by the hierarchy to part company with Rosenior after less than four months was undoubtedly the right one, and that step one of Chelsea’s much-needed reset was underway at Wembley.

Sanchez began to hit Joao Pedro, to pick out the sort of long balls so rarely utilised under Rosenior. Joao Pedro’s hold-up play was an immense help and gave Chelsea a route through which to progress up the pitch.

Joao Pedro impressed on his return from injury for Chelsea

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Fernandez’s clinical header from a deft cross by Pedro Neto was the one truly incisive moment but Joao Pedro hit the woodwork and Chelsea did have chances.

And there was even a touch of gamesmanship, too, as Sanchez went down and Chelsea regrouped before a Leeds free-kick after the interval.

The Leeds fans hated that, and had every right to, but a touch of game management, of bending the rules to suit them, was no bad sign. You must do what you can to win when victory is as rare as it has been lately.

Goal drought finally over

The reaction from McFarlane was no more histrionic than an understated clap and a couple of embraces with his backroom staff, but the achievement was suitably seismic.

Fernandez’s 13th goal of a season in which only Morgan Gibbs-White among Premier League midfielders has scored more was the first time Chelsea had found the net in any competition for 293 long and arduous minutes of football.

It was the Blues’ first goal against Premier League opposition since March 4 and ended an unproductive spell in front of goal of truly epic proportions.

Enzo Fernandez fired Chelsea into the FA Cup final

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“Moving on up, moving on out” came the lyrics of the M People song over the loudspeaker at full-time.

Whether that is truly the case for Chelsea's long slump remains to be seen. But the goal drought is over. A foothold here. A Wembley return date booked.

Matchwinner is Chelsea’s No1

Robert Sanchez and the injured Filip Jorgensen have each had their share of iffy moments between the posts this season.

Sanchez, though, is comfortably Chelsea’s first-choice goalkeeper and has clearly come on in various facets. This campaign has been in his best in a Chelsea shirt. At Wembley, he delivered one of his best performances of a long season, and it was a huge factor in why it is Chelsea, not Leeds, now gearing up to meet City in next month’s final.

An early mistake by Trevoh Chalobah gifted Leeds possession and a chance quickly materialised, only for Chelsea’s Spanish shot-stopper to deny Brenden Aaronson one on one with a decisive block with his outstretched right leg.

Star man | Robert Sanchez

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In the second half, an even more exceptional save followed. Anton Stach had barely been on for a minute after the restart when the substitute unleashed a piledriver from outside the box following a half-cleared Leeds corner.

As bodies in white and blue looked and watched, Sanchez sprung into action and tipped over the bar.

It didn’t take long before he was called into action again to deny Dominic Calvert-Lewin header. For a moment it looked destined for the top corner, until Sanchez arrived to catch the ball. His clean-sheet was richly deserved. So was Chelsea's victory.