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Chelsea impressed their interim manager Calum McFarlane with their performance against Leeds United on Sunday.
Chelsea beat their rivals 1-0 in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley, with Enzo Fernandez scoring the only goal of the game.
In the second half, it was a really tight contest, but McFarlane was still happy with the team’s effort.
Chelsea’s player ratings v Leeds: Do YOU agree?
Gusto and Sanchez excellent!
Calum McFarlane impressed with Chelsea’s character
A lot has been said about this Chelsea squad and their attitude towards former manager Liam Rosenior. It has been claimed that Rosenior even viewed some players as “petulant children” after their behaviour.
Against Leeds, though, McFarlane was happy with the team’s character. In fact, it was what pleased the 40-year-old the most.
Speaking to the BBC after the game, McFarlane said: “Probably the character was the most pleasing part. I think those lads showed how much they want to win a football game and what they were willing to do to win a really important football game for the club.”
Photo by Harvey Murphy/News Images/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Chelsea now need to show some of that character in the Premier League. They are currently on a run of five straight defeats, failing to score in any of those games.
The Blues face Nottingham Forest at home next, which is a winnable fixture. Anything less than three points would be a huge disappointment.
After that, Chelsea travel to Anfield to take on Liverpool. That was meant to be a huge match, but with Champions League qualification now unlikely, its significance has decreased.
Chelsea’s defending was also good
McFarlane can also be pleased with Chelsea’s defending. Leeds are capable of hurting teams in different ways.
Daniel Farke’s side are strong on the counter-attack and constantly cause problems from set pieces. However, Chelsea were able to neutralise those threats.
Farke even spoke about Chelsea’s defending after the game, stating that it was “top”. It has only been one match, but the Blues already look like a completely different outfit under McFarlane compared to when Rosenior was in charge.
Tosin Adarabioyo came in for Jorrel Hato and did not do a bad job in central defence as Chelsea’s backline defended well as a whole.
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