Leeds United came within inches of losing in heart-breaking fashion at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.
Leeds United captain Ethan Ampadu couldn’t quite believe his side’s luck when Cole Palmer missed an incredible chance to make it 3-2 to Chelsea on Tuesday night.
Ampadu and his Leeds teammates stood helpless in the final minutes of Tuesday’s 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge as Moises Caicedo whipped a tempting ball across the goal-line and towards Palmer. But the attacking midfielder, who had been outstanding all game and already scored a penalty, somehow skied his effort over from all of two yards with the entire goal gaping.
Leeds had fought back from 2-0 down to draw level in the second-half, scoring twice in six minutes through Lukas Nmecha’s penalty and Noah Okafor’s tap in. For a second, that impressive show of resilience looked set to count for nothing but in what Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior described as a one in 1000 event, Palmer missed.
“I saw it and I thought I’d see the back of the net ripple because he’s a very good player,” Ampadu told TNT Sports. “He showed his quality throughout the game, finding the pockets.
“To be honest, when it got squared across I half just looked back at the halfway line and felt deflated because I thought it was going to be a goal. We dug in a lot, showed character and grit. Maybe most of the time that goes in the back of the net but sometimes you need a little bit of luck.”
A late goal would have been a hammer blow for Leeds, who despite being a long way from their best showed huge fight to claw back that two-goal deficit. Daniel Farke’s side struggled to cope with a sharp Chelsea attack and looked destined for defeat when Palmer stroked home his penalty - but the belief remained.
Ethan Ampadu on Leeds United belief at 2-0 down
“I think naturally you go down a little bit because you’re against a good team, when they punish you it’s very difficult,” Ampadu said. “But the belief in this team, what we said before the game and at half-time, no matter what happens we always had the belief in ourselves to make sure we come back.
“We had what we did [in the reverse fixture] at Elland Road in the back of our minds and we wanted to impose ourselves. Obviously it was a little bit harder today but even at 2-0 down we had full belief we could create a moment, then momentum shifts and when we’ve got momentum on our side we’re very good.”
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“We hope it’s big,” Ampadu added. “We know between now and the end of the season we have to keep accumulating points.
“Just because we had a good performance and result here, it doesn’t mean that anything is done. There is still a long way to go, a lot of teams trying to get a lot of points. But for now, we’re very delighted.”
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