Chelsea beats Leeds to set up FA Cup final meeting with Man City

Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez celebrates at the end of the FA Cup semifinal soccer match between Chelsea and Leeds in London, England. (AP)

LONDON, April 26 (AP): Chelsea’s season might be unraveling, but it will still include an appearance in the FA Cup final.

Enzo Fernandez’s 23rd-minute header secured Chelsea a 1-0 win over Leeds in the semifinals on Sunday, setting up a meeting with Manchester City in the May 16 title match.

Chelsea’s run in the FA Cup is salvaging a campaign that has veered off the rails after a humiliating exit from the Champions League - 8-2 on aggregate to Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 - and five straight losses in the Premier League that mark the team’s worst run of league results in 114 years and led to the midweek dismissal of manager Liam Rosenior.

Calum McFarlane, Rosenior’s unheralded assistant, has taken control of Chelsea until the end of the season and will now be leading the team back out at Wembley Stadium next month, in search of a ninth FA Cup title and a first since 2018.

Fernandez met a right-wing cross from Pedro Neto with a firm header low into the net for the only goal. The Argentine midfielder recently courted controversy by speaking publicly about wanting to live in Madrid, earning him a two-match suspension by the team.

Leeds, seeking to reach a first FA Cup final since 1973, piled on the pressure in the second half, and Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez notably produced a stunning, one-handed save to stop a piledriver from Anton Stach.

City rallied to beat second-tier Southampton 2-1 on Saturday to advance to the final and stay on course for a domestic treble. Pep Guardiola's team has already won the English League Cup and is battling with Arsenal for the Premier League.