Chelsea claimed a 1-0 win against Leeds United in the FA Cup semi-final to book their place in the final.
It has been a turbulent season for Chelsea, but they still have an excellent chance to clinch silverware.
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Aiming to end a worrying winless run, the Blues brought their A-game in the semi-final, showing the cohesion that Liam Rosenior could not instil during his short stint.
Several players who looked off the boil under the former Chelsea boss seemed to find a new lease of life.
One player whose form has been particularly concerning is Andrey Santos.
Despite working with Rosenior at Strasbourg, the English tactician did not trust the Brazilian midfielder in England.
Add in rumours of interest from at least two massive clubs, and it appeared Santos was heading into his final days at Stamford Bridge.
However, in only the first game under Calum McFarlane, Santos showed that Chelsea would be silly to let him go.
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With 25 minutes left to play, the West Londoners needed to shut up shop versus Leeds, and Romeo Lavia was visibly tired.
In came Santos, who controlled the pace of play and screened the defence impeccably. He won 5/10 duels, completed 14/15 passes, and won 3/4 tackles.
Any decision to sell Santos would be incredibly short-sighted. The 21-year-old is a terrific prospect still finding his feet in English football.
He has all the tools to explode into a world-beater, and Chelsea must ensure he does so at Stamford Bridge.
Santos is one of the few wins from Chelsea’s youth-centric project, and they need to be patient to reap the benefits of their brilliant decision to sign him.
If McFarlane sticks to the double pivot system with two holding midfielders over the final games of the season, Santos will get more chances to prove his worth to the club.
