Find out how Leeds United’s players rated against Chelsea in today’s FA Cup semi-final tie at Wembley
17:04, 26 Apr 2026Updated 17:12, 26 Apr 2026
Noah Okafor of Leeds United looks dejected after a missed chance(Image: Getty Images)
It wasn’t to be for Leeds United in Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final against eight-time winners Chelsea, the Whites falling to a 1-0 defeat in their first last-four tie for 39 years.
Chelsea found the pivotal goal through Enzo Fernandez’s header inside 23 minutes, the Blues captain guiding a pinpoint cross past Lucas Perri with relative comfort.
That came after Brenden Aaronson had missed a one-on-one chance with Robert Sanchez, the American hitting a shot that the Chelsea goalkeeper got a leg to.
An otherwise drab first half for Leeds – which had also seen Chelsea hit the post – was followed by a better second with Joe Rodon and Anton Stach brought on at half-time as Daniel Farke switched to a back four.
Leeds enjoyed more sustained attacking spells as a result but did seem open to the counter. Clear-cut chances were at a premium for Leeds and for more than 34,000 supporters, who tried to rally their team on, it wasn’t to be United’s day. Here are the player scores.
Lucas Perri – Distribution was a bit better than previously seen. Couldn’t do much for the goal. 6
Jayden Bogle – Was beaten by Alejandro Garnacho a few times and loose going forward. Did manage to venture up the pitch but lacked conviction. 5
James Justin – Wasn’t at his best while under the cosh, with a few balls dissecting him and Bogle. Was positionally aware but Leeds needed to sacrifice him for a more attacking philosophy. 6
Jaka Bijol – Seemed to rush at times. Found his feet towards the end of the first half but was the fall guy amid the half-time changes. 6
Pascal Strujik – Made a hash of his duel for Chelsea’s opener. Was sold for a kipper a few times too but he also got to his head a lot in both boxes. Tracked back decently and muscled his strikers. 6
Gabriel Gudmundsson – Couldn’t attack as much as hoped in the first half and had to deal with a tricky Pedro Neto, not always successfully. But found more joy in the second half with a few dangerous crosses and kept going. 7
Ethan Ampadu – Tough opening phase of the game with tackles not always timed but steadied as the match went on, taking command of the ball. Was always destined for a yellow card, though. 7
Ao Tanaka – Thumped over a poor free-kick effort from a good position early on. Didn’t stamp his mark but had a tough job. SOme OK phases but nothing overly potent. 6
Brenden Aaronson – Squandered a glorious one-on-one chance when through in the first half. Continually harried with a few nice touches but ultimately was not much of a factor. 5
Noah Okafor – Tried to make things happen, even if quite a bit did not come off, the main live-wire. Always hunting for blood. 7
Dominic Calvert-Lewin – After a frustarting first half, benefitted from a more attacking formation in the second, heading into Sanchez’s gloves, but that was about it. 5
SUBS
Joe Rodon (46′ for Justin) – Added composure and more muscle. 6
Sean Longstaff (86′ for Aaronson) – Came on too late for a proper rating. N/A
Anton Stach (46′ for Bijol) – Forced Sanchez into a save within two minutes of coming on. Added more central impetus going forward. Set-pieces not the best but he has been out for a while with injury. 6
Wilfried Gnonto (76′ for Okafor) – Tried to work between the lines but was crowded out. 5
Lukas Nmecha (76′ for Tanaka) – Took a hefty whack to his shoulder from Santos. Then responded by showing some nice feet. But got a yellow for a late challenge. 5
MANAGER: Daniel Farke – Struggled to cope with a sharp Chelsea team for 40 minutes, with little being offered in attack. Half-time changes made a difference but not enough, and the same remaoined even with two more attacking changes coming on. Ultimately, came up short with his ideas not paying dividends. 5
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