McFarlane urges Chelsea to salvage season with FA Cup triumph

Chelsea’s interim manager, Calum McFarlane, has urged the team to rescue a difficult season by defeating Manchester City in the upcoming FA Cup final on Saturday.

Having gone winless in their final seven Premier League matches, Chelsea currently sit in ninth position and have little prospect of securing a Champions League spot for next season.

McFarlane is in his second stint as caretaker after moving from his under‑21 coaching role to replace Enzo Maresca in January, and then taking over from Liam Rosenior three months later.

Chelsea were defeated in the FA Cup final in 2020, 2021 and 2022, and have not lifted the trophy since their 2018 victory over Manchester United, which was their latest domestic title.

McFarlane thinks ending that dry spell could help heal the wounds of a troubled campaign.

“Our recent form in the league has been way below the standard we’d expect and that we’d shown