Chelsea and Leeds United both made it past Football League opposition to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals at the weekend.
Progress to the semi-finals of that competition would mean a Gameweek 34 postponement for these two clubs, although it’s still possible that a rearranged fixture could fall within the same Gameweek.
Any further Blank/Gameweek permutations, we’ll save till after the FA Cup draw on Monday night.
In terms of this article, we discuss the wider Fantasy talking points from the victories for Chelsea and Leeds – not that there were too many, with the respective managers rotating massively.
RESULTS
| Team | Opponent | Result | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chelsea | Wrexham (a) | 2-4 win | own-goal, Acheampong, Garnacho, João Pedro | Garnacho, Andrey Santos, Essugo x2 |
| Leeds United | Norwich City (h) | 3-0 win | Longstaff, Gudmundsson, Piroe | Gudmundsson, James, Nmecha |
SELECTION/ROTATION
| TEAM | CHANGES FROM GAMEWEEK 29 | PLAYERS WHO KEPT THEIR PLACES (+ MINS) | OTHER NOTABLE PLAYERS (+ MINS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chelsea | 9 | Garnacho (120), Hato (65) | Sanchez (120), Tosin (120), Badiashile (120), Andrey Santos (120), Neto (100), Acheampong (85), Delap (85), Lavia (65), Guiu (62), Sarr (58), Cucurella (55), Essugo (55), Gusto (35), Joao Pedro (35), Derry (20) |
| Leeds United | 9 | Ampadu (90), Gudmundsson (87) | Perri (90), Bijol (90), Piroe (90), Gnonto (90), Nmecha (90), Tanaka (70), James (70), Longstaff (70), Bornauw (45), Justin (45), Bogle (20), Struijk (20), Stach (20), Byram (3) |
RESTS FOR THE BIG GUNS – BUT PEDRO STILL FINDS THE NET
The main takeaway from Chelsea’s win in Wales was the rotation.
Cole Palmer (£10.6m), Moises Caicedo (£5.7m), Wesley Fofana (£4.4m) and Enzo Fernandez (£6.7m) were given the evening off completely, while Reece James (£5.6m) and Trevoh Chalobah (£5.6m) were left unused on the bench.
Joao Pedro (£7.7m) was limited to little more than half an hour, meanwhile.
All in all, pretty good news for owners of the most popular Chelsea picks in FPL. This was a much-needed rest, too, as the Blues face a Wednesday-Saturday-Tuesday run of games next, the middle one – the Gameweek 30 visit of Newcastle United – being sandwiched by a PSG double-header.
🤜F I X T U R E C R U S H🤛
GW28 — GW31
💚 5+ full days recovery between matches
💚 4 days
💛 3 days 😳
❤️ 2 days🥴#FixtureCrushMatrix#WeAreHere #FPL #GW29 pic.twitter.com/L8NPFQczXb— Legomané (@Legomane_FPL) February 28, 2026
It’s still not beyond the realms of possibility that Rosenior rotates a little in the Premier League (a rest for Fofana, for instance) but you’d hope Saturday’s breather, coupled with some rare midweeks off in February, means Pedro and co can get through the upcoming trilogy of fixtures.
And as for the in-form Brazilian, he continued his purple patch despite restricted minutes. With the game almost done, Pedro sealed Chelsea’s win with a dribble and low finish.
That’s 11 goals in his last 12 games in all competitions.
GARNACHO IMPRESSES BUT SECOND STRING STRUGGLE
In a further boost to Enzo et al, the second string struggled to stake a claim. Even the usually over-effusive Liam Rosenior admitted it was “not the best performance”.
It’s not the first time this has happened, either. Remember the near-miss in Gameweek 24 when Pedro and co were summoned from the bench to rescue victory from the jaws of defeat?
“You have to give your players opportunities. You have to see your squad. You have to utilise your squad. This team have played the most games over the last 18 months in world football. It’s crazy for me to just keep rolling players out at risk of injury when we want to achieve what we want to achieve and I trust the group.” – Liam Rosenior
Alejandro Garnacho (£6.4m) was one of the few to emerge with credit. Scoring what proved to be the decisive third goal in extra time, he’d also forced Chelsea’s first goal on the night, with his shot cleared off the line but cannoning in off Wrexham ‘keeper Arthur Okonkwo.
Garnacho, playing off the left flank, had a game-high eight attempts in all. He also nearly had an assist when teeing up Pedro Neto (£7.0m) for a shot against the woodwork. This latest impressive display followed promising showings against Arsenal and Aston Villa.
On current form, there’s an argument that he merits a place alongside Palmer and Enzo in Chelsea’s first-choice attacking midfield three. Two hours against Wrexham, of course, means a rest likely comes against either PSG or Newcastle.
“I feel he’s in a good place. Ale is in a great place. His goals, his energy levels for 120 minutes were magnificent, considering he played a full 90 on Wednesday. He’s in a really good place, and it’s really, really good to see his form at this really important stage of the season.” – Liam Rosenior on Alejandro Garnacho
MORE ‘KEEPER UNCERTAINTY
Chelsea could easily have lost this match. Twice behind, they were indebted to Wrexham misfortune/errors (the own-goal and then Josh Acheampong‘s (£3.7m) second equaliser) to force the game into extra-time.
Wrexham even had chances when reduced to 10 men, seeing a goal disallowed and Lewis O’Brien’s shot whistle narrowly wide.
There was some mitigation. A rusty-looking Romeo Lavia (£4.9m) was starting his first match since November. Acheampong and Jorrel Hato (£4.6m) were employed at wing-backs, very much not their forte.
But as for Robert Sanchez (£4.9m), he did little to suggest he’ll get an instant recall in the Premier League. Indecisive for Wrexham’s opener, he looked short on confidence. Claiming crosses is usually one of his strengths but he even looked hesitant in that department on Saturday. Two of his saves came from shots that were going off-target anyway.
Filip Jorgensen (£4.3m) hasn’t done much to impress in his time with the club but after a solid showing on his recall against Aston Villa, you wonder if it’s his shirt to lose for now.
NO SWEAT FOR MUCH-CHANGED LEEDS
Daniel Farke also made nine alterations but his second string coasted through their fifth-round meeting with Norwich City.
Gabriel Gudmundsson (£3.8m), one of FPL’s cheapest defenders, was one of the two players to keep his place. He marked the occasion with an assist and a first-ever Leeds goal, too.
Firstly teeing up Sean Longstaff (£4.8m), who scored with a superb turn and volley, the Swedish left-back then followed in Dan James‘ (£5.2m) deflected cross to double the Whites’ lead.
“Last time I rested him and left him out completely, then the next day, he was injured in training. I thought it’s better for him to just to stay in the process and not to rest him and just to keep going a bit like a like a Scandinavian machine!” – Daniel Farke on Gabriel Gudmundsson
The underused Joel Piroe (£4.9m), who hasn’t started a league match since Gameweek 2, curled in a third. He had hit the bar earlier.
Lukas Nmecha (£5.0m) claimed the assist for Piroe’s goal and linked play well but did miss a couple of good chances. He also had a goal chalked off by the VAR. Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£5.7m), the man Nmecha deputised for, was rested entirely.
It wasn’t just Longstaff pressing his case for a Premier League recall but also the commanding Jaka Bijol (£3.9m). Given that Leeds slumped to defeat against Sunderland last time out, it may be that Bijol has played his way back into league contention, probably at the expense of James Justin (£3.9m).
