‘I had a feel for what they needed psychologically,’ he says

Daniel Farke admits nerves got the better of Leeds

Chelsea’s interim manager Calum McFarlane admitted they had to “break the momentum” of five straight Premier League defeats without scoring as they held off Leeds to reach the FA Cup final.

A header in the first half from Enzo Fernández proved decisive as Daniel Farke’s side were frustrated by several fine saves from the Chelsea goalkeeper, Robert Sánchez. It means McFarlane, who replaced Liam Rosenior following his sacking this week, will have a chance to win Chelsea’s first domestic trophy since 2018 when he takes charge of next month’s final against Manchester City.

“It was important to break the momentum and the form that we were in,” he said. “That completely changes the feel in the group and gives us confidence going into the next five games.”