Chelsea, 'FA Cup Final' Triumph Immediately After Sacking Manager... Enzo's 'Header Winner' Shatters Leeds' '53-Year Dream'

*This content was translated by AI.

Chelsea has emerged from a long slump. For the first time in four years, the club will step onto the FA Cup final stage.

On the 27th (Korean time), Chelsea secured a 1-0 victory over Leeds United in the 2025-2026 FA Cup semi-final at Wembley Stadium in London, UK, holding on to Enzo Fernandez's opening goal until the final whistle.

Having reached the FA Cup final for the first time since the 2021-2022 season, Chelsea will face Manchester City for the title on May 16. Meanwhile, Leeds, who had dreamed of reaching the final for the first time in 53 years since 1973, saw their campaign end in the semi-finals.

This victory is a hard-fought result amid Chelsea's turbulent atmosphere. In the English Premier League (EPL), Chelsea suffered the humiliation of a five-game winless streak without scoring a goal for the first time since 1912, a span of 114 years. Ultimately, manager Liam Rosenior was dismissed in disgrace just 106 days after taking charge, and current coach Callum McFadzean is currently leading the team as interim manager.

Early in the match, Leeds controlled the flow. In the 15th minute of the first half, Brendan Aaronson seized a perfect one-on-one opportunity, but his shot was blocked by Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez's brilliant save.

After surviving the scoring threat, Chelsea immediately launched a counterattack. In the 23rd minute of the first half, Pedro Neto delivered a cross from the right flank, which Enzo rushed into the box and powered into the net with a strong header.

Desperate for an equalizer, Leeds launched a relentless assault in the second half. However, their chronic lack of finishing ability held them back. In the 13th minute of the second half, Dominic Calvert-Lewin's decisive header toward the goal was saved by goalkeeper Sanchez, leaving them with regret.

Ultimately, Chelsea held on to their one-goal lead until the end to secure the victory.

Chelsea now has a golden opportunity to break their recent curse of three consecutive FA Cup final defeats. Chelsea had previously lost the trophy in three straight finals: 1-2 to Arsenal in the 2019-2020 season, 0-1 to Leicester City in the 2020-2021 season, and a 0-0 draw followed by a 5-6 penalty shootout loss to Liverpool in the 2021-2022 season, suffering the painful dishonor of being the first team in FA Cup history to lose three consecutive finals.

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*This content was translated by AI.