Leeds United
Tuesday night saw Leeds United visit Stamford Bridge to play Liam Rosenior’s Chelsea side. Many were expecting a much different result from when the two sides met a few months ago at Elland Road.
Former Blues boss Enzo Maresca was outclassed as Daniel Farke’s men run out comfortable winners. But with Rosenior in charge, the home side looked formidable – they won seven of their last nine games in all competitions. And they had a morale-boosting result at home in their last fixture; coming from 2-0 down to beat West Ham United.
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Leeds also secured a huge result in their last match, getting three points against relegation rivals Nottingham Forest as they continue their battle for safety.
Leeds United get positive result away to Chelsea
The visitors were on the backfoot for most of the first half and caved in and conceded the first goal. The defence went to sleep as Joao Pedro sneaked in behind to score the opener. Chelsea went into half time with the lead, with Leeds posing close to zero threat. Just before the hour mark, Cole Palmer converted the second goal of the night from the penalty spot.
It looked like gameover for the away side, but they managed to turn the game around in the last 20 minutes. Lukas Nmecha pulled one back from the penalty spot, and six minutes later, Noah Okafor got the crucial equalizer. After the game, many could not believe that the Whites were able to mount a comeback including former Chelsea man Jason Cundy.
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Daniel Farke got away with Stamford Bridge gamble
Before kickoff, fans were furious with the Leeds United lineup. The team was missing Dominic Calvert-Lewin due to illness, but the team selection was poor. Leeds went with six defenders, with Jayden Bogle playing on the wing. That approach meant that the visitors spent the whole first half pinned back in their own half defending; they had chances on the break but had no options anytime they got far.
Farke decided to end the experiment when his side went 2-0 down, bringing Noah Okafor on for a defender. And it worked like a charm; with another attacker on the pitch, the Chelsea backline were stretched. Leeds found more and more opportunities on the break and duly capitalized to seal a result. Going forward, Farke has to learn the difference between a defensive approach and playing many defenders – having so many on the pitch on Tuesday hampered the team heavily.