Article body analysed
By ALEX JENNINGS, SPORTS DIGITAL PRODUCTION EDITOR Published: 05: 17 AEDT, 6 April 2026 | Updated: 08: 17 AEDT, 6 April 2026 28 View comments Chelsea will meet rivals Leeds in the semi-final of the FA Cup at Wembley, while Championship Southampton face a daunting task against seven-time winners Manchester City. Leeds booked their spot in the last four with a dramatic penalty shootout win at West Ham on Sunday and their reward is a tie against their old foe from west London. The teams' rivalry goes back to the mid-20th century, with their clash in the 1970 final often described as the most brutal in the competition's history. Former Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole was conducting the draw on TNT Sports, and remarked 'Ooh, that's feisty, 1970' when the pairing was confirmed. The clash will offer Blues boss Liam Rosenior a chance to lift the mood around Stamford Bridge, after his side breezed past Port Vale 7-0 in their quarter-final. Chelsea's grudge match against Leeds will offer beleaguered Blues boss Liam Rosenior the chance to lift the mood around Stamford Bridge Southampton, meanwhile, will become just the seventh Football League side to make the semi-finals since 2010 when they walk out against City. City have reached the final for the last three seasons in a row - though Saints proved their giantkilling credentials in their shock 2-1 defeat of Arsenal on Saturday. The semi-finals will be played over the weekend of April 25-26.
Share what you think
The comments below have not been moderated.
The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of Mail Online.
By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your Mail Online comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to Mail Online as usual. Do you want to automatically post your Mail Online comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to Mail Online as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on Mail Online. To do this we will link your Mail Online account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.

