Pedro Carmona News

McFarlane delighted Chelsea stopped the rot by beating Leeds in FA Cup semi-final

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.” Fernández was dropped by Rosenior for two matches after flirting with Real Madrid but followed up his equaliser against City in January when McFarlane was last in charge after the departure of Enzo Maresca with another goal here. “I said that to him at the end – ‘you like scoring goals at the back post’ and he just laughed,” added McFarlane. “He’s a winner, he’s got so much talent, so much fight and he’s massive for this group. He was exceptional today. “I did it for a week before, so I knew what I was stepping into. It’s easier this time because I have a relationship with the players and I’ve worked with them for three or four months now. I’ve been a part of the backroom staff, so I had a feel for what they needed psychologically. It’s been intense.” Sánchez, who denied Brenden Aaronson in the first half before pulling off an even better save from Anton Stach’s effort just after half-time, admitted that Chelsea’s players had been desperate to put on a performance after losing their last five Premier League matches without scoring. “The boys reacted in the way they should have,” he said. “We’ve tried to keep everyone positive in training and it’s the chance to be in another final.” The Leeds manager, Daniel Farke, admitted that nerves got the better of his side after they failed to score at Wembley for the fourth successive visit and they came up short in their attempt to avenge the FA Cup final defeat to Chelsea following a replay in 1970. “You could feel the boys were a bit too nervous today to be at their free-flowing best,” said Farke. “They always had an answer to the questions that we asked.”

2026-04-26

Chelsea ready to SELL Alejandro Garnacho after star's shock Man Utd U-turn

Chelsea are already willing to cash in on Alejandro Garnacho less than a year after signing him from Manchester United . The Argentine winger completed a £40m move to Stamford Bridge last summer but has endured a disappointing first season. He has netted eight goals in all competitions but just one of those has come in the Premier League , while boss Liam Rosenior has preferred former Wolves man Pedro Neto on the left flank. And it appears that the West London club are already happy to move him on. According to The Sun , club chiefs would be willing to sanction an exit, with Rosenior having hesitations over Garnacho’s place in the side. The youngster still has six years left to run on his Chelsea contract but has recently been linked with a loan move to Boca Juniors. He also recently deleted every reference to his current employers from his TikTok page. FOLLOW OUR CHELSEA FB PAGE! Latest Blues news and more on our dedicated Facebook page Meanwhile, Garnacho has recently opened up on his Old Trafford exit and appeared to suggest he had regrets over how the move came about. Speaking to Premier League Productions, he said: "I remember in the last six months I was just not playing like before at Manchester United. I started to be on the bench, it's not [a] bad thing, I was only 20 years old, but in my mind it was like I had to play every game. "In my mind, maybe it is also on me, I started to do some bad things. But yes, it was just this moment in life and sometimes you have to make decisions and I am really proud to be here and still in the Premier League at a club like this." Asked if his exit hurt, Garnacho added: "Yeah, maybe yes, because I loved that club, you know? They gave me the confidence from the start, from Spain, to bring me to the academy, then they bring me to the first team, so it was like four or five years, and amazing love from everyone, from the fans, the stadium, everything was really good. "It's just sometimes you have to change for the good of your life or the next steps. I only have good memories of Man Utd." Speaking about Garnacho earlier this year, Chelsea boss Rosenior said: “Garna is a top player. We have changed a little bit tactically since I came in. I have wanted to dominate midfield areas, which has meant at times I have only played with one winger. "But Garna is an outstanding player. What I have really liked in this period is his reaction to not starting. He has been training very, very well. He has shown real positivity." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

2026-04-17

Chelsea star’s injury return plan revealed with World Cup spot still possible

Colwill suffered an ACL injury before the season began (Picture: Getty) All things considered, Chelsea have had better weeks. Losing captain Reece James to injury, Champions League humiliation, Enzo Fernandez’s transfer bombshell and a suspended transfer ban were just the headlines. There was also Pedro Neto pushing a ballboy, a huge injury scare for Trevoh Chalobah and losing ground in the race for a top five finish after defeat to Newcastle United. Good news has been hard to come by. But the sight of Levi Colwill back in training will have been a much-welcome lift. Colwill has not played a minute of the season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee the week before the campaign started in August, undergoing surgery in what was the biggest setback of his career to date. Suffice to say, his presence has been sorely missed. Chelsea resisted interest from Manchester City and Liverpool after Colwill’s excellent loan spell at Brighton and emerged as one of the club’s truly untouchable figures last season. The 23-year-old started 35 of Chelsea’s 38 Premier League matches, finishing the 90 in each of them and scored the goal that secured their return to the Champions League on the final day of the season against Nottingham Forest. While Trevoh Chalobah has had a fine season, they have missed a natural left-footer at the back. Wesley Fofana’s form has wavered while Tosin Adarabioyo cannot be considered a long-term solution. Colwill was back in what Liam Rosenior described as ‘partial training’ ahead of the first leg against PSG last week. Colwill was back in training at Cobham last week (Picture: Getty) Chelsea have not provided a clear timeline for when their defender will play again but there is an growing expectation he could play before the end of the season. ‘I’m hopeful,’ Rosenior said last month. ‘I’m hopeful because he’s an outstanding player. Again, no time frames. ‘You have to take these long-term injuries day by day. And also, it’s not about when he comes back, it’s about him staying fit when he is back.’ Behind the scenes, the hard work has been underway for months. Explaining the process the club’s medical staff and Colwill have undertaken, Stephen Smith, CEO and founder of Kitman Labs which specialises in injury welfare, explained the most important goal will be getting the player’s training levels back to where they were pre-injury before he is exposed to first-team football. Colwill has watched on from the sidelines this season (Picture: Getty) ‘There will be an enormous, very gradual build up to his return to play,’ Smith said. ‘The plan in place for a return from an injury like this is extremely detailed. With an ACL, what you don’t want is an anterior translation where the top part of the leg slides forward on the bottom half of the leg because that is what essentially severs the ACL. ‘So you need your hamstring muscles to be incredibly strong. They will have done lots of work on jumping and landing because when you get into that landing position, that is where that translation or sliding occurs. ‘They will be doing lots of strengthening work on how you land from a jump, they will also be doing a lot of changes in direction and how you decelerate. ‘Obviously they will want him up to speed but how you slow down will be monitored. All his movement patterns will graduate from very low velocity to very fast speeds, moving from very controlled situations to very uncontrolled, chaotic situations. Colwill was a key figure at the back last season (Picture: Getty Images) ‘This is a process that will have been building for months. They will be looking closely at his numbers from a normal game week, looking hit those pre-injury baseline levels and replicating the type of demands placed upon a player in training and games, hopefully without any adverse reaction.’ Chelsea still have trophy hopes this season in the form of the FA Cup while they are in the thick of a battle for a top five finish with Manchester United, Aston Villa and Liverpool. Rosenior will be hopeful his defender can have a role to play in the run-in but for Colwill, he will also have one eye firmly on the World Cup. There is intense competition at centre-half and the Chelsea star will not have the opportunity to impress Thomas Tuchel in the upcoming international break. But Smith believes there is ample opportunity for Colwill to end his injury hell with a trip State-side. ‘There is plenty of time and importantly, he won’t be going into the summer with the same level of fatigue compared to other players who gave played all season. So there are some pros and cons to where he is at right now.’

2026-03-20

Barcelona president offers Marcus Rashford update as Man Utd transfer at risk

2026-03-14