Chelsea dug deep to beat Leeds United 1-0 in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.
They have now advanced to to the final for the 17th time. Only Manchester United and Arsenal boast a better record.
Enzo Fernandez scored the decisive goal in the 23rd minute, heading Pedro Neto’s cross into the bottom corner.
Fernandez has now scored 13 goals across all competitions. Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White is the only Premier League midfielder with a higher tally.
Speaking after the game, interim boss Calum McFarlane praised the Argentina international.
He told TNT Sports: “The most impressive thing about him is that he’s a fighter. You don’t have to have the perfect game plan in those moments – he will run and compete and that is often the deciding factor.”
Fernandez was outstanding against Leeds
Fernandez has been under scrutiny following comments in which he cast doubts over his future at Chelsea, leading to a recent two-match ban.
However, the 25-year-old produced a brilliant performance against Leeds, silencing critics who have questioned his commitment.
Deployed in the number ten role, Fernandez registered 79 touches, three of which came in the opposition box, and he was not dispossessed.
He also completed 83 percent of his passes, eight of which were into the final third.
The Argentine made three tackles, one block and one clearance. He recorded four recoveries and won 62 percent of his ground duels.
McFarlane will be hoping Fernandez build on this momentum for the final five matches of the season.
Chelsea are still aiming to qualify for the Champions League and beat Manchester City in next month’s FA Cup final.
Stats from fotmob.com.
