The two teams in action in Sunday’s semi-final have history in the Emirates FA Cup

For the first time since the 1970 final, Chelsea and Leeds will meet in the FA Cup at Wembley, a game which was drawn 2-2 despite Leeds twice taking the lead.

The final replay at Old Trafford, played 18 days later, is best remembered for the, shall we say, agricultural and robust nature of the tackling on display from both teams.

Leeds again took a 1-0 lead but this time lost 2-1 as the Blues lifted the trophy in front a watching audience of 28.5 million – the sixth biggest for any broadcast in UK TV history.

Leeds returned to the FA Cup Final in two of the following three seasons, beating Arsenal in 1972 and losing in a shock to Second Division side Sunderland in 1973.

Since then, the Whites haven’t been to a single final, while Chelsea have played in 13. Even a semi-final has been rare, with this the first time since 1987 that Leeds are in the last four, losing to eventual winners Coventry that year.

This is their 102nd game in the competition since and in the time since that 1987 game, 496 different players have represented the club and 31 different managers have taken charge of a game – the most recent of which, Daniel Farke, is looking to become just the second man to lead Leeds to an FA Cup Final, after the great Don Revie.

Chelsea are no stranger to a managerial change themselves (their 13 finals since Leeds were in one have been overseen by 11 different managers). With Liam Rosenior leaving his post on Wednesday evening before this tie – after his first game as manager was a 5-1 win at Charlton in the third round before seeing his side net 20 goals in four games this season, more than any other side, Calum McFarlane is in interim charge for Sunday's game.

Only in 1969/70 when, as mentioned, they beat Leeds and 2006/07 when they beat Man United in the final have they netted more goals in one season.

The only caveat would be that all four games have been against sides from the Championship or League One – they have failed to score in four of their last six FA Cup games against Premier League teams.

Cautious cause for hope for Leeds, potentially.

It didn’t take Wesley Fofana long to discover the Emirates FA Cup’s significance after he arrived in England.

The Chelsea centreback had already enjoyed a taste of cup football in his homeland, reaching the Coupe de France final with Saint-Étienne in 2020 and scoring during the run. That was enough to make it a “great” run despite Les Verts eventually succumbing to a 1-0 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain at the hands of a Neymar goal.

Even so, Fofana admits that he thinks “the FA Cup is more important compared to French Cup”.

The Frenchman also took things a step further in terms of results in England, lifting the Emirates FA Cup with Leicester City during his first campaign.

Reminiscing on walking out at Wembley Stadium, he says: “I could see my teammates in Leicester, for them it was very important and they gave me that feeling. It was amazing because the fans were crazy.”

Having secured the Cup Final win against Chelsea that year, Fofana is now aiming to replicate that success with the Blues this time around.

That would see him join a stellar list of defensively-minded players from Les Bleus making their mark for the Blues from west London in this competition.

Claude Makélélé, N’Golo Kanté, Marcel Desailly, Frank Leboeuf and current France manager Didier Deschamps are all among Fofana’s countrymen who have lifted this trophy with Chelsea.

The 25-year-old takes inspiration from those who have come before him. “These are big players, so I watch what they do” but he also laughs while offering a reminder that, “I’ve won the trophy so I can be an inspiration as well.”

Fofana continues: “For me, it’s very big to try and win the FA Cup. I’ve won it once before and I want to win it with Chelsea, of course, because I came here to win trophies.”

Despite Chelsea being in a tough period outside of the FA Cup, Fofana declares that “we’re ready for the fight” that they will face against Leeds.

“Everyone wants to win games. Everyone wants to win trophies, so everyone is concentrating on that and we’ll try everything for that. Of course, it’s not an easy period, it’s a bit complicated, we’ve lost games but we need to stay together. We need to stay focused because we have big things coming.”

Speaking about Leeds, he says: “It’s a very tough team. They play very good football, they’re organised”.

“We played against them not long ago at the Bridge and they came back. They’re very strong, so we will try to be ready to win the game and go to the Final.”

Leeds captain Ethan Ampadu is a driving force for the team and he’s hoping he can play his part in creating some magic moments the supporters can enjoy.

“The FA Cup is always a special competition. Growing up in England, you understand its history, the memories of watching it with family, the famous upsets, and the unique atmosphere it brings. Even players coming from abroad quickly realise how important it is. At the start, you tend to focus on getting through each round but as you progress, you naturally start to dream. That said, we’re not looking too far ahead. There’s still a very tough semi-final to play, and you need to perform consistently well to have any chance of winning the competition.

“I was at Chelsea when they won the FA Cup, although I didn’t play – I was injured at the time. I did go to Wembley for the final, so I’ve experienced that occasion, which was incredible. But being on the pitch and contributing directly would be something completely different. That would be a very special achievement, and hopefully something I can experience.

“It’s massive (for Leeds to reach this stage after such a long time). For a club like this to have waited so long for an FA Cup semi-final makes it even more meaningful. You could really feel that connection with the fans after we won the penalty shoot-out in the quarter-final – the celebrations together were incredible. To have the chance to go back to Wembley and share another moment like that with the fans is something we’re really excited about.

“I’m very grateful for my time at Chelsea. I learned a lot there, even though I spent time out on loan as well. For me, when you play against a former club, your focus is fully on your current team. There aren’t many players left from when I was there, so it feels quite different now. It’s about putting in a strong performance for Leeds and getting the result we want.

“It’s been (a) challenging but rewarding (season). As a newly promoted team, you have to understand how tough the league is and what standards are required to stay in it. We’ve always believed we could compete, and while we’ve had difficult periods, we’ve also had strong performances. It’s about learning from setbacks and continuing to push forward.

“We know we have a real opportunity to do something special (on Sunday) but we’re not looking too far ahead. The focus has to be on the next game. There are still strong teams left in the competition, all with the same ambition. All four of us want to win it. For us, it’s about preparing properly, performing well and giving ourselves the best possible chance.”