Chelsea struggled once again in the second half against Leeds United, despite going 2-0 up.
Liam Rosenior picked arguably Chelsea’s strongest side to start against Leeds United, with Estevao Willian coming into the starting XI.
It was a similar story to the Wolves game for Chelsea, with all the hard work in the first half undone by a second half that left little to be desired.
Joao Pedro finished smartly in the first half, and Cole Palmer slotted away yet another penalty, but things fell off a cliff after that.
And the decision to take off Marc Cucurella was a baffling one.
Anything you would change, Chelsea fans?🤔
Two points dropped against Leeds United…
Chelsea player ratings vs Leeds United
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Marc Cucurella will be fuming at Liam Rosenior’s substitution
Chelsea fans presumed that Marc Cucurella suffered an injury after being substituted at half time, with Jorrel Hato coming on in his place.
However, that wasn’t the case, as a TNT Sports commentator shared that there was no injury issue at all, merely a decision from Liam Rosenior.
This led to Steve McManaman having his say on the situation.
“I certainly wouldn’t be happy going off at half-time if I wasn’t injured, especially in a game like this.”
However, it has since come out that it was due to an injury.
“He felt his hamstring at half-time. He will have a scan to see if he’s available for the next game.”
Is Andrey Santos now quietly Chelsea’s best midfielder?👀
What a performance from the Brazilian!
Chelsea v Leeds United - Premier League
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Marc Cucurella’s stats against Leeds United
Marc Cucurella did have a rather quiet night. He made zero attacking contributions, had 30 touches, made 19 out of 20 passes, one out of two crosses, two recoveries, one clearance and lost two duels.
But there was nothing to suggest he should have been substituted.
In fact, he quite often found himself in advanced positions beyond the Leeds United right-back and his experience and leadership could have proven crucial in the second half.
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