Chelsea have booked their place in the FA Cup final after a narrow 1-0 win over Leeds United at Wembley, and Calum McFarlane has heaped praise on Robert Sanchez.
Chelsea came into the match in crisis. Liam Rosenior had been sacked, the Blues had lost their last five Premier League games without scoring and there were injury doubts over Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro.
On top of that, Calum McFarlane was thrown in the deep end as caretaker manager. It was just his third outing as a professional manager at senior level, yet McFarlane got the job done at Wembley earlier.
Chelsea’s player ratings v Leeds: Do YOU agree?
Gusto and Sanchez excellent!
His three changes worked, his substitutions did a job and Chelsea got over the line in what was a hard-fought display against Leeds. Enzo Fernandez was named man of the match having scored the winner.
Calum McFarlane saw the “best” out of Robert Sanchez today
But, The Chelsea Chronicle handed Robert Sanchez a higher rating than Fernandez. After the game, the interim Blues gaffer heaped praise on his Spanish goalkeeper, who has come under fire in recent months.
Indeed, Sanchez denied Brenden Aaronson when clean through and the scoreline was still 0-0, before a superb one-handed save having seen Anton Stach’s 25-yard strike late. A top display from Sanchez.
The Spaniard has endured a lot of criticism, certainly in recent months, but he atoned for that on Sunday and McFarlane heaped praise on the £25m man. He told BBC Sport that Sanchez is “world class”.
“That’s Rob Sanchez at his best. That’s what we expect from him. That’s what he’s capable of doing. He’s one of the best in the world in those moments, and thankfully, as he delivered today,” McFarlane said.
Liam Rosenior preferred Filip Jorgensen in goal
What was interesting was to see a doggedness about Chelsea that has not been apparent for quite some time. Enzo Fernandez was back to his brilliant best off the ball, and the Chelsea side worked hard.
How clutch is Enzo Fernandez? We’re not going to be able to replace him…
Under Rosenior, certainly in the latter weeks, the Chelsea players looked as though they had stopped trying to some degree. One thing Rosenior preferred, clearly, was Filip Jorgensen between the sticks.
Indeed, Jorgensen played when fit – the first leg against PSG, the win over Villa. But he remains injured and Sanchez has been Chelsea’s only pick. Sanchez would often leave Rosenior with his head in his hands.
But on this basis, Sanchez should never have been doubted. A stunning performance, and he was not the only one to enjoy a new-manager bounce, even if it wasn’t a new face. Fernandez was a world apart.
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