Credit: Manh Tung - Breaking Media

James Barker

Thu 23 April 2026 12:40, UK

Chelsea sacking Liam Rosenior is probably not what Leeds United would’ve wanted before their FA Cup semi-final clash.

Indeed, the Blues parted ways with Rosenior on Wednesday after he’d spent just 106 days in charge at Stamford Bridge.

The 41-year-old dropped the successful project he was building with French Ligue 1 side Strasbourg to take the Chelsea job, in the hopes it would catapult him into the upper echelons of football management.

However, three months later, and he’s now found himself on the free agent market, with his stock taking a significant drop as a result of his short-lived spell in SW6.

So, just days away from the FA Cup semi-final, managerless Chelsea will now have to overcome a Leeds side that is full of confidence having last tasted defeat on 3 March in all competitions.

Why Liam Rosenior sack isn’t good news for Leeds United

Rosenior lost 10 of his 23 games in charge of Chelsea, with the Blues having lost seven of their last eight games in all competitions.

Indeed, their only win in that time came via the 7-0 demolition of Port Vale in the FA Cup, but aside from that, they’ve been putting in dismal performances in recent weeks.

Chelsea have been outrun in every Premier League game this season, showing a clear problem in the energy and work rate department in their side.

The 3-0 defeat to Brighton on Tuesday night proved to be the final straw for Rosenior as Blues boss, and so given that they’re now managerless, does that give Leeds a clear advantage going into Sunday?

No, and in fact, it may well work against them. Daniel Farke and his coaching team will have been preparing to face a Rosenior-led side, with plenty of footage on tape to help them build a clear picture of what to expect.

As well as that, confidence levels among the Chelsea players, both in the general sense and perhaps towards Rosenior as their manager, will have been extremely low, but that could now flip.

With Rosenior now gone, Chelsea’s players may feel a new sense of opportunity and belief again, and they will be determined to prove to the world that they weren’t the issue in this case.

What better way to do that than at Wembley Stadium with the eyes of the world watching in an FA Cup semi-final, against a bitter rival no less?

What is Calum McFarlane’s record as Chelsea interim manager?

Calum McFarlane has been confirmed as Chelsea’s new interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

The 40-year-old joined Chelsea back in July last year, initially taking on the role as Under-21s coach, before earning a promotion to the first-team as caretaker manager following Enzo Maresca’s sacking in early January.

In the time between Maresca’s sacking and Rosenior’s appointment, McFarlane took charge of two Premier League games against Man City and Fulham respectively.

His first game was a trip to the Etihad Stadium, where he was able to help the Blues to an impressive 1-1 draw against Pep Guardiola’s side, before losing 2-1 to Fulham.

However, it’s important to note that Marc Cucurella was sent off for the Blues after 22 minutes in that game, and McFarlane’s men had the game at 1-1 before Harry Wilson scored the winner with under 10 minutes to play.

As such, he’s a coach to be taken very seriously by Leeds on Sunday, and is sure to get Chelsea’s players fired up and ready to prevent the Whites from reaching an FA Cup final for the first time since 1973.