Liam Rosenior could welcome some big names back to the matchday squad when Chelsea face Leeds United in the FA Cup semi-final later this month.
The Football Association have confirmed that Chelsea will face Leeds United in the semi-final of the FA Cup on Sunday, April 26 at 3pm. As a result, the Blues’ clash against Brighton in the Premier League, originally scheduled for Sunday, April 26, will now be played on Tuesday, April 21.
Meanwhile, Manchester City will lock horns with Southampton in the other semi-final. The FA Cup final, which is set to be played at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, May 16, coincides with the penultimate week of the English top-flight season, meaning there will be more changes to the fixture calendar in due course.
Chelsea leapt out of the gates in the third round of the FA Cup, cruising past Charlton Athletic at The Valley. Liam Rosenior marked his first game in charge of the Blues with a 5-1 victory.
The west Londoners put four past Hull City at the MKM Stadium in the fourth round to seal a place in the round of 16. Wrexham looked set to knock Chelsea out of the competition until Josh Acheampong scored a late equaliser, sending the tie at the Racehorse Ground to extra-time.
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Alejandro Garnacho saved the day, scoring an excellent goal to give Rosenior’s side the lead. Joao Pedro then put the fourth and final nail in the coffin in the dying embers of stoppage time.
Chelsea waltzed to victory in the quarter-final, beating Port Vale in spectacular fashion. Cole Palmer led the Blues to a 7-0 win at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon, sealing a place in the semi-final at Wembley Stadium.
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Speaking to reporters after the game, Rosenior reflected on the result. The 41-year-old said: “I was just very happy with the application, the intensity levels of the team. I think it stemmed from that.
“Obviously, we’ve got outstanding players and some of the goals we scored in the play that we did have was very good. But when you watch the application of the group in the first half, the way we chased, the way we tackled, that’s what gave us the basis to go on and win the game.”
Rosenior continued: “I think every manager will tell you that the final whistle is when the relief is there. I think it’s been a really important week, the international break, in terms of myself and the staff and the club.
“Obviously the players went away. When you go through a difficult moment like we did in that 10-day period, you come out of it and once you analyse it, you come back stronger and you know what you want to fix.
“I’ve got a group of players who still believe, as I do, we can have an outstanding season in terms of winning an FA Cup, in terms of qualifying for a Champions League.”
On booking a place at Wembley, Rosenior said: “That’s what you dream of, but people keep asking me questions about what does it mean for me. I’m manager and head coach of a huge club where it’s deemed normal for us to be in that situation.
“So I’ll think about Wembley when we’re there. We’ve got a huge game against Manchester City next Sunday that my focus is fully on now.”
