Leeds United were left frustrated at Wembley after a semi-final defeat to Chelsea, missing out on a place in the FA Cup final.
Daniel Farke’s side couldn’t quite make their moment count, as their hopes of reaching a first final in 53 years slipped away following a narrow loss at the national stadium.
A first-half goal from Enzo Fernandez proved decisive, sending Chelsea through to face Manchester City in next month’s final.
However, the way the second half unfolded didn’t sit well with Leeds players or fans, with Chelsea leaning on a bit of gamesmanship to see the match out and secure the result.
Chelsea makes Leeds admission after big win
The Blues lost their last five Premier League games, which led to Liam Rosenior getting sacked last week and Calum McFarlane taking interim charge.
However, the interim boss has insisted that his Chelsea players were confident going into the game after a couple of days of solid preparations.
He claimed that his players knew that Leeds would feel that they were there for the taking in the semi-final, and were going to be aggressive in the opening exchanges, which Chelsea ended up dominating.
“We were confident going into the game”, McFarlane told TNT Sports.
“We had a good three days prior; the boys seemed in a good place, but you never know.
“We wanted to be really clear in the way we set up against Leeds. We knew that they were going to think we were vulnerable, and they were going to come for us early in the game.”
The Whites boss would be disappointed
Daniel Farke will be frustrated to have been outmanoeuvred by a relatively inexperienced manager who isn’t expected to remain in charge of Chelsea beyond this season.
That said, there’s little time to dwell on it. Leeds United are not yet mathematically safe and still need a few more points to confirm their Premier League status.
Next up is a home game against Burnley at Elland Road on Friday, where they’ll aim to finish the job in front of their own supporters.
Farke, though, can still take credit for becoming the first Leeds manager to reach an FA Cup semi-final since 1987, and he’ll have fulfilled his main objective if he keeps the Whites in the top flight.
