Relief was Calum McFarlane’s biggest feeling after Chelsea beat Leeds United 1-0 in Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.
The final clash marked McFarlane’s second debut as interim manager following the sacking of Liam Rosenior on Wednesday.
Chelsea improved significantly in Rosenior’s final game in charge, a 3-0 defeat at Brighton and Hove Albion, and Enzo Fernandez’s first-half header settled the game.
Leeds’ second-half display was much better than their first half, but Daniel Farke’s side rarely threatened Robert Sanchez in the Chelsea goal.
McFarlane is free to change Chelsea’s momentum
For Chelsea, the win ended a three-match losing streak since their 7-0 win over Port Vale in the quarter-finals. A run of five consecutive Premier League games without scoring has come to an end for Rosenior’s short spell.
Leeds are unbeaten in their last seven games in all competitions, with that difference in form a clear source of concern for McFarlane ahead of the game.
“‘Relief’ is the right word. We were confident going into the game – we had three great days before it – but you never know,” McFarlane told TNT Sports.
“We really wanted to change the momentum. Our form hasn’t been good recently – I think that’s where the relief comes in.”
Asked about the experience of entering the role for the second time, McFarlane added: “I did the work for a week in January to know what I was getting into. It was actually easier this time because I have a relationship with the players, I have worked with them for three or four months now, and I had a feeling of what they need mentally.
“We knew that Leeds are very dangerous when we have things deep, because they take it man by man, so we wanted to counter that by going on for a long time. It created a little fear in them, because we have athletes in our top line, and when they went down we had space to play.”
Fernandez, suspended for two games by Rosenior earlier this month for comments in the media, was Chelsea’s hero when he headed in Pedro Neto’s cross from the right wing.
“I thought Enzo’s place was brilliant,” McFarlane said. “The way he pulled so hard to hit the right fielder, so we had a spare man in the build-up and we controlled it.”
‘Terrified’ Leeds miss out
Farke, meanwhile, suggested nerves played a role as Leeds missed out on a first FA Cup final since 1973.
“First of all, congratulations to Chelsea for reaching the final,” Farke told TNT. “It was a very difficult game. We had the goals we expected (xG), many shots, many shots on the police, some big chances were missed.
“It could have gone either way, but it’s also fair to say that we weren’t at our level, especially in the first half.
“Maybe the boys were nervous – a lot was made of this game and we weren’t at our level today. That’s football. In tight games, sometimes the better defense wins the game and congratulations to Chelsea for that.”
