Chelsea summon up their dormant strengths to earn FA Cup final date at expense of old rivals Leeds

A game with a certain ring to it : Picture by @YTJourno

FA Cup semi-final

Chelsea (1) 1 Fernandez 23

Leeds United (0) 0

Managerless they may be, but old habits die hard for the Blues as they once again made it through to the FA Cup final and another shot at silverware.

Their recent form has been so wretched, and their fans so disillusioned, that a pathway to any success this year seemed out of the question.

A route to the Champions League has started to look beyond them but a date with Manchester City on May 16 is their reward for a vastly improved display following the 3-0 drubbing at Brighton a few days ago.

Liam Rosenior paid the price for the club's unravelling and a run of five straight domestic defeats without scoring. Here at their home from home, the Blues put it right with an excellent, disciplined team performance which defied lowered expectations.

For caretaker boss Calum McFarlane, it was a feather in the cap - and a decent addition on the CV to the 1-1 draw he oversaw at Man City in the league when he was last given the same temporary role in the dugout.

This was a fixture to evoke floods of 70s nostalgia but as in that famous final between the sides, Leeds were destined to come off second best, though no replay was needed as in 1970. A first half goal from man of the match Enzo Fernandez put the Blues in the driving seat and they never relinquished control.

Robert Sanchez's outstretched right boot kept out the game's first big chance - Brenden Aaronson having burst through a clutch of players to reach a nicely weighted first-time pass from Dominic Calvert-Lewin. It turned out to be one of only two big chances the Yorkshiremen would create over the 90 minutes.

Chelsea came even closer when Joao Pedro thudded a low shot onto the inside of a post after Fernandez had dinked in a clever pass but they had the goal their early dominance had threatened when Pascal Struijk was caught on the ball and Pedro Neto lifted a cross for the Chelsea skipper to head in.

Leeds were hardly given a look-in during those opening 45 minutes, with two-thirds possession being hogged by the Blues - who were suddenly clicking and looking like a unit again rather than a collection of strangers.

Daniel Farke sent on Anton Stach at the break and the midfielder was soon involved - blasting goalwards from just outside the box, forcing Sanchez into a hurried save. And the keeper's new found confidence was evident again when he plucked a Noah Okafor header out of the air with ease. He had a good afternoon.

Joao Pedro was proving a menace on his return in a way Liam Delap cannot replicate. Holding up the ball and giving defenders the slip, he almost wormed his way through surrounding players to fire off a shot but was eventually blocked.

But overall, the Blues were content to sit back, absorb and hit on the break. It seemed a sound idea, given that Leeds were struggling to make much of an impression up front. And in the end, a pragmatic, conservative approach proved enough to seal the deal.

Blues: (4-2-3-1) Sanchez - Gusto, Chalobah, Tosin, Cucurella - Caicedo, Lavia (Andrey Santos 66) - Pedro Neto, Fernandez, Garnacho (Palmer 71) - Joao Pedro (Delap 98)

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

Attendance: 82,542