Enzo Fernandes captained Chelsea and scored the winning goal as the Blues defeated Leeds in the FA Cup semi-finals, ending a losing streak and setting up a date with Manchester City.
Fernandes was Chelsea’s winner against Wembley (Image: The FA via Getty Images)
Chelsea caretaker manager Callum Macfarlane has backed Enzo Fernandes as his stand-in captain secured a place in the FA Cup final.
Fernandes was armbanded and scored the winning goal with a back-post header, making him a hero just weeks after they were eliminated in the quarter-finals in an affair with Real Madrid.
Argentina star Fernandes has also been at the center of criticism for his recent poor performances under manager Liam Rosenior, but no one from the squad has shown support on social media since his sacking.
Macfarlane insisted he had no hesitation in naming Fernandes as captain with Reece James out injured as Chelsea progress to their 17th FA Cup final and face Manchester City next month.
“He’s a winner, he’s very talented, he’s got a lot of fight and he’s a huge addition to this group,” McFarlane said.
read more: Chelsea beat Leeds to end losing streak and confirm Man City FA Cup final date – 5 talking points
“And the best thing about Enzo is that he can do a little bit of everything. But when things get tough, you see him fighting, pushing the group forward, making the tackles, struggling on every loose ball. So today he was exceptional and deserved Man of the Match.”
“In terms of making Enzo Fernandes captain, I am fully aware that I am interim manager and Enzo is the vice-captain of this club, so there was no hesitation in making him captain now that Reece James is not fit for this game.”
“At the end I said to him, ‘You like scoring at the back post for me,’ and he just laughed. He’s really good at it, he’s been doing it all year.”
“One of his biggest attributes is his timing of his runs when attacking from the right side, his ability to get really good distance and height on his jumps, and his heading technique is really good.”
MacFarlane also insisted that reaching the FA Cup final could be a game-changer for Chelsea, who had lost five consecutive league games under former manager Rossenyol.
MacFarlane added: “Yeah, it was important to get the win. I don’t know if it had to do with the FA Cup final or the carrot, but I think it was important to break the momentum and form we had.”
“And I think today we were confident that we could do it. I think that completely changed the atmosphere within the group. I think that’s probably more important and gives us confidence going into the next five games.”
Chelsea manager’s substitute Callum MacFarlane (Image: Getty Images)
Leeds manager Daniel Farke admitted his players had developed stage fright after waiting 53 years to reach the FA Cup final.
It was a devastating blow to the 33,000 Leeds fans who gathered at Wembley after a memorable cup campaign ended with a semi-final defeat to Chelsea.
Farke was honest when he said the chance came as Leeds failed to capitalize on their chances and ultimately lost to Fernandes’ first-half winner.
“There’s a lot of pressure on the players and they’re not used to playing on such a big stage all the time, and they’ll feel it at the weekend,” said Falke.
“I think in recent games the players have been a lot better, a little more calm on the ball. At times they were a little too clumsy in the build-up, they weren’t courageous and played too many long balls.”
“We didn’t play outside, but it certainly wasn’t our best day. In that respect, yeah, it’s disappointing, but it was a good experience for the players.”
Leeds manager Daniel Farke (Image: The FA via Getty Images)
“We have some big games coming up, but we’ve learned from them and we’ll be able to go into them a little more confident and less nervous.
“And I think this is more than what we got out of this game. We had nothing to lose today. We just had a lot to win. It’s disappointing not to win today, but that’s something we have to accept.”
“It was a close game. They were able to get into the back of the goal. I think we almost dominated the statistics with more shots on target, more expected goals and missed big chances. But it’s fair to say we didn’t have our best days of football in the first half.
“I felt like the players were a little too nervous today and didn’t maximize their free flow. So we lost the ball needlessly and more or less assisted on two or three chances in the first half.”
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