Leeds United have become hard to beat and head to Wembley this weekend to face a Chelsea side who are being accused of not putting in the effort necessary for a manager who has now been dismissed
Jeremy Cross
09:00, 23 Apr 2026
Daniel Farke has made Leeds United hard to beat - something their FA Cup opponents are not
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Daniel Farke has made Leeds United hard to beat - something their FA Cup opponents are not(Image: 2026 Getty Images)
Under normal circumstances, Chelsea would head into this weekend's FA Cup semi final against Leeds as strong favourites to win.
But, let's be blunt, Chelsea are not a club which tends to indulge in normal circumstances. Events of recent weeks have left the world champions engulfed in a crisis.
Liam Rosenior might talk a good game. But he couldn't deliver one and now after less than four months in charge, he's been sacked.
Chelsea have lost seven of their last eight games in all competitions. This humiliating run includes five straight league defeats without even scoring a single goal.
Which means Leeds will be licking their lips ahead of this weekend's clash. It will be a golden chance for Daniel Farke's men to pile more pain on their more illustrious opponents.
And it won't have escaped Farke's attention that there is one simple quality a team needs, to get the better of the laughing stock from London: Hard work.
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If one statistic is a damning indictment of Chelsea's failing this season it is this one: Chelsea have been outrun by their opponents in all 34 league games of this campaign.
While Rosenior didn't take charge until the second week of January, it's clear whatever he was asking his players to do, they were refusing to produce the basic requirement of any team on the planet.
Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior is a dead man walking at Stamford Bridge
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Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior is a dead man walking at Stamford Bridge(Image: 2026 Getty Images)
Leeds, on the other hand, have covered more distance per game than all but one team in the top flight. And that's a Manchester City side striving to win another title.
Farke has turned Leeds into an industrious team which is hard to beat. Since the end of November, Leeds have lost just four times. Leeds work as hard off the ball as on it.
The likes of Gabriel Gudmundsson, Brenden Aaronson and Dominic Calvert-Lewin personify the energy levels Farke demands.
And Farke will know Chelsea are there for the taking at Wembley. On a big pitch, Leeds can outwork a lazy Chelsea, and grind them into the grass.
In sentences you never thought you'd read, Leeds, not Chelsea, should be starting this game as favourites.
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Leeds have reached one FA Cup final in their history. And this was back in 1972. But they will never get a better chance to get there once again.