By KIERAN GILL, MAIL SPORT REPORTER
Published: 17:26 EST, 3 December 2025 | Updated: 17:39 EST, 3 December 2025
It is fine getting up for those glamorous games, the ones against your Arsenals and Liverpools, your Barcelonas and Paris Saint-Germains. Chelsea have shown a handsome knack for turning up in those matches that they know will have millions of eyes watching their every move.
But if Enzo Maresca’s young side are to become contenders – and they had spent a chunk of this week hearing how they should be included in title race conversations – then they need to learn that they cannot simply gear up for one game and not the next.
They have to show the consistency of winners, and that was nowhere to be seen here.
Chelsea rocked up at Elland Road as if they expected this would be easy. It smacked of naivety, and not even the second-half introduction of Cole Palmer, in what was his first appearance since September, could make up for the mistakes already made by Chelsea.
Leeds were everything they were not. Their players played as if they were desperate to ease the pressure on their own manager, Daniel Farke, who had suffered four defeats in succession.
Maresca confessed on the eve of this trip that he had no idea which formation Farke would choose. Not the foggiest, he said. Your guess as good as mine, he added. He even asked us reporters what we reckoned once the cameras had stopped rolling.
Enzo Maresca cut an animated figure on the touchline as his side were beaten by Leeds
The hosts were everything Chelsea were not as Maresca's men were made to look like boys
History suggested a back four because in more than 200 matches as a manager, that had been Farke’s go-to system. He had never used anything else as head coach of Leeds. Except, that is, in their very last outing before this one. Leeds were trailing 2-0 at Manchester City and so, at half-time, Farke switched to a back three. They brought it back to 2-2, only to lose 3-2 in stoppage time.
Clearly, Farke saw the potential in that as he abandoned his usual approach and stood by this new 5-3-2 set-up here. Chelsea looked unprepared for it.
To say Leeds exploded into this Premier League game would be a gross understatement. After 10 minutes, Leeds had managed five shots to Chelsea’s zero. It was attack versus defence, and Elland Road was at its electric best, with Jayden Bogle only encouraging the home supporters to get even louder after a high press forced the visitors into giving up possession.
Chelsea have concocted an innovative new tactic for defending long throw-ins. Just as the ball is set to be launched into their box, Maresca has two of his players sprint out of it and towards the halfway line. The idea is they will take at least two of their opponents with them, thereby easing the congestion in the area and enabling Robert Sanchez more room to come make the catch.
It is a little jarring because we are not used to seeing that but it had been working in games of late and we saw it within the opening five minutes here when Liam Delap and Jamie Gittens were the selected sprinters. However, they did not then use that same tactic when Leeds won a corner.
They did for the visit of Arsenal. They are the corner kings, after all. But Maresca decided against treating Leeds with the same caution. That was a mistake, in truth, and Delap may as well have been nowhere near the box in any case. He was the culprit who lost Jaka Bijol, whose header was too thunderous for Sanchez to stop from flying in.
Leeds deserved that lead, and when Enzo Fernandez lost possession after 43 minutes, Ao Tanaka punished him with a swerving shot which Sanchez could not stop. Without Moises Caicedo, red carded on Sunday against Arsenal, Chelsea were without one of their main tone-setters and had been humbled.
Maresca loves a half-time substitution. He had made eight in Premier League matches this season, second only to struggling Wolves. Trailing 2-0, we knew what was coming. The only surprise was he stopped at two. Estevao Willian and Benoit Badiashile were sacrificed as Pedro Neto and Malo Gusto were introduced. Neto had started every Premier League game this season except this one, and scored from Jamie Gittens’ cross after 50 minutes.
Jaka Bijol set the tone for a superb night for Leeds with the opener inside six minutes
Ao Tanaka's stunner from outside the box doubled the hosts' lead before half-time
Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored Leeds' third of the night after mistakes by Chelsea's defence
MATCH FACTS AND RATINGS
Leeds (5-3-2): Perri 6; Bogle 7, Bijol 7.5, Rodon 7, Struijk 7, Gudmundsson 7; Ampadu 7, Stach 7, Tanaka 7.5 (Gruev 67, 6); Calvert-Lewin 8, Nmecha 7 (Okafor 67, 7)
Subs (not used): Darlow, Piroe, Aaronson, Harrison, Bornauw, Justin, Gnontpo
Scorers: Bijol (6), Tanaka (43), Calvert-Lewin (72)
Booked: Stach
Manager: Daniel Farke 7.5
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Sanchez 5; Chalobah 4.5, Tosin 4, Badiashile 4.5 (Gusto 45, 5.5), Cucurella 5.5; Santos 5.5 (Guiu 77), Fernandez 5.5; Estevao 4.5 (Neto 45, 6.5), Joao Pedro 4.5, Gittens 5.5 (Palmer 61, 5.5); Delap 4.5 (Garnacho 61, 6)
Subs (not used): Jorgensen, Hato, James, Acheampong
Scorers: Neto (50)
Booked: Estevao
Manager: Enzo Maresca 4
Referee: Darren England 6
Attendance: 36,767
Neto had done more in a few minutes than Estevao Willian et al had managed in the entire first half. Maresca introduced Cole Palmer – in what was his first appearance since suffering his groin injury in September – and Alejandro Garnacho. Palmer had his chance. It was in the 69th minute when Garnacho set him up. He fired wide from 12 yards when he should have equalised.
Then, Dominic Calvert-Lewwin made it 3-1 instead, and it was self-inflicted from Chelsea. Tosin Adarabioyo took a loose touch, was dispossessed by Noah Okafor, Sanchez tried and failed to pounce on the ball, and Calvert-Lewin tapped in to complete an embarrassing evening for Maresca and his men who were made to look like boys by Leeds.