Leeds United manager Daniel Farke, Leeds United badge.
Leeds United chased down a 2-0 lead to secure an impressive point against Chelsea and climb to 15th in the table.
Chelsea was leading 1-0 before Cole Palmer slotted home a penalty to make it 2-0. Leeds United, fighting for their Premier League lives, appeared to be hanging on. Then, the game turned.
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Jayden Bogle won a penalty. Lukas Nmecha stepped up and sent Robert Sanchez the wrong way. Then, just minutes later, Noah Okafor bundled home an equaliser from a goalmouth scramble to score his second goal for Leeds in as many games.
A moment of madness from Jaka Bijol should have cost Leeds United
There was a moment at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday when Jaka Bijol must have felt the ground open up beneath him.
Chelsea led 1-0, and the game was tight; Leeds were hanging on. Then Joao Pedro chased a hopeful ball into the channel, with Bijol goal-side and in control. There was no danger. No reason to intervene. Yet the Slovenian centre-half shoved Pedro squarely in the back, conceding a penalty so obvious that every person inside the stadium spotted it before the referee even blew his whistle.
It was terrible defending to start with, and was absolutely needless. One Leeds fan described it as “not provoked at all, probably thought he was training.” That sums it up perfectly. The kind of individual mistakes that get teams into difficult positions.
The defender would have breathed the biggest sigh of relief at Stamford Bridge when Okafor equalised, as on any other night, that mistake would have proven costly.
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Data suggests Jaka Bijol struggled against Chelsea
With the game against United’s bitter rivals, Chelsea being Bijol’s first since his return from injury, it was natural that the 27-year-old was not at his best.
In his first Premier League appearance in just over a month, the Slovenian had to shake off some cobwebs, and the data certainly suggested this.
Bijol conceded one penalty during the game
He also had an error that directly led to a shot
The Slovenian failed the only tackle he attempted and also committed a foul during the game (Sofascore)
One thing is for certain, and that is Daniel Farke will need Bijol to regain his form sooner rather than later, with the Whites’ backline set to be tested heavily in the coming weeks.
The FA Cup clash with Birmingham this weekend is a good opportunity for Bijol to get some more minutes in his legs as he aims to return to full match sharpness.
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