“To be brutally honest…” – Ethan Ampadu does not hold back when delivering Leeds vs Chelsea verdict

Leeds United were left frustrated at Wembley after losing their FA Cup semi-final to Chelsea, narrowly missing out on a place in the final.

Daniel Farke’s side couldn’t quite take their chance, as their bid to reach a first final in 53 years ended in a tight defeat at the national stadium.

A first-half goal from Enzo Fernández proved decisive, sending Chelsea through to face Manchester City in next month’s final.

Leeds have reasons to feel aggrieved by Chelsea’s tactics in the second half. However, Ethan Ampadu has indicated that his team have themselves to blame for the performance.

‘We are not good enough’ – Ethan Ampadu

Brenden Aaronson missed a golden chance in the first half, but that is the only time Leeds looked like scoring before the break.

Chelsea absolutely dominated the Whites in the first half, and Ampadu admitted that they were just not good enough and allowed the Blues to find a way to score.

He stressed that Leeds were more resilient and looked better after the break. But indicated that the first half decided the game and the Whites may have been too nervous.

Ampadu told TNT Sports: “To be brutally honest, we are obviously disappointed, but we were not good enough in the first half.

“When you are playing against a good team that didn’t have too many good chances, they are obviously capable of putting the ball in the back of the net, and it was difficult from there.

“We pushed, we showed resilience in the second half, but you can’t start a game as nervously as we did.

“It was not to our standards.”

The Whites are still on course to have a good season

Ampadu and the players will be frustrated to have been tactically outplayed by a relatively poor Chelsea side, who lost their last five Premier League games.

That said, there’s no time to dwell on it. Leeds United are still not mathematically safe and need a few more points to secure their Premier League status.

Next up is a home game against Burnley at Elland Road on Friday, where they’ll be aiming to get the job done in front of their supporters.

Even so, the players deserve credit for taking Leeds to their first FA Cup semi-final since 1987, and if they secure survival, they’ll have met their objectives for the season.