Chelsea head across London for Saturday’s FA Cup final with a mission to salvage something constructive from a campaign that has felt painfully underwhelming. Big spending has not translated into the results supporters expected, and frustration has grown around the club’s youth-led direction.
As Chelsea continue to weigh up potential replacements for Liam Rosenior, Xabi Alonso and Andoni Iraola are widely viewed as leading options. In the meantime, Under-21s coach Calum McFarlane has taken the reins on an interim basis, hoping to make history by becoming the first Blues manager to win the FA Cup since Antonio Conte in 2018.
Quick facts
- Calum McFarlane is in interim charge as Chelsea search for Liam Rosenior’s successor.
- Xabi Alonso and Andoni Iraola are among the candidates believed to be in contention.
- Chelsea beat Leeds United 1-0 in the FA Cup semi-final three weeks ago.
- Enzo Fernandez scored in the first half to send Chelsea to their 17th FA Cup final.
- Chelsea have scored 21 goals in five FA Cup matches this term.
- Chelsea are ninth in the Premier League, six points behind the top six.
- Chelsea’s last four FA Cup wins en route to Wembley came against non-Premier League teams.
- Manchester City are the first club to reach four straight FA Cup finals.
- City have won 21 of their last 23 FA Cup matches.
McFarlane’s spell began three weeks ago with a tense semi-final against Leeds United, where Enzo Fernandez found the net with a first-half header to seal a narrow 1-0 win. The result carried Chelsea to their 17th appearance in the competition’s showpiece, trailing only Manchester United (22) and Arsenal (21) in terms of final counts.
On the way to Wembley, Chelsea’s previous four victories all came against teams outside the Premier League: Charlton Athletic, Hull City, Wrexham and Port Vale. Their most recent success against two top-flight sides in the same FA Cup campaign arrived in 2020-21, when they beat Sheffield United in the quarter-final and then overcame Manchester City in the last four.
This term, Chelsea have been exceptionally productive in the FA Cup, scoring 21 times across their five matches. That tally stands as the second-highest scoring run in the club’s FA Cup history, eclipsing the 20 goals managed in 2006-07 and only being bettered by Chelsea’s 25-goal total from 1969-70.
In domestic league action, the Blues find themselves ninth, sitting six points outside the top six. Their most recent Premier League outing brought a 1-1 draw at Liverpool, a result that finally ended a run of six straight defeats. However, it also stretched their winless streak in the league to seven games, leaving European qualification looking increasingly difficult.
There is still a route into continental football: lifting the FA Cup will ensure Chelsea’s place in next season’s Europa League. Yet City will enter Saturday’s final as the more likely favourites, and Chelsea’s own record in the competition’s final has been mixed. Across their last 16 final appearances, they have won eight and lost eight, including three consecutive final defeats between 2020 and 2022.
City’s momentum and milestones
Manchester City, meanwhile, have already secured a place in the FA Cup history books before a ball is struck on Saturday. They are the first club to make it to four consecutive finals, though their recent run in those matches has been a little harsher than their consistency on the road to them. After winning the trophy in 2023 by beating Manchester United, City were then beaten in consecutive finals by the same opponents they had previously overcome, losing to Manchester United and then Crystal Palace over the last two campaigns.
Beyond the finals themselves, City’s overall FA Cup form has been formidable. They have claimed victory in 21 of their last 23 matches, and since Pep Guardiola’s first season in 2016-17 they have led the competition in key categories: 45 wins, 159 goals and 28 clean sheets.
City’s path to Wembley began with a spectacular 10-1 win over Exeter City in the third round, a scoreline that matched the club’s biggest-ever FA Cup victory. From there, Guardiola’s team moved past Salford City, Newcastle United and Liverpool before battling back to defeat Southampton 2-1 in a semi-final in which they had to respond after going behind.
For City, the next step is to avoid repeating Chelsea’s unwanted final pattern of three consecutive losses. Another major milestone is also within reach: if the reigning EFL Cup champions—who beat Arsenal at Wembley in March—overcome Chelsea, they would become only the sixth team in English football history to complete the domestic cup double. City previously achieved that feat in 2018-19, and a repeat would tighten their grip on the domestic honours landscape.
