Chelsea v Leeds United - Carabao Cup Third Round
LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 09: Daniel Farke the head coach / manager of Leeds United speaks with Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Noah Okafor and Ao Tanaka of Leeds United during the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Chelsea and Leeds United at Stamford Bridge on September 09, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)
Leeds United looked to be cruising towards the next round of the EFL Cup against Chelsea, only to concede six second half goals and lose 6-3.
United’s EFL Cup run was presented with a major test as we were drawn away (again) to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
It felt like something of a free hit, given it’s the cup and we were underdogs. But, we failed to manage what was looking like a potentially big scalp.
Leeds United crumble and concede six in second-half disaster vs Chelsea
Tarik Muharemovic stooped in at the back post to give Leeds a deserved lead in the first half. It was akin to the performance at Brighton in the sense that United’s aggression off the ball and speed in transition proved troublesome for the home side.
Then, after half-time, Leeds got a deserved second when Ethan Ampadu’s lung-busting drive down the wing laid a cross into the path of Brenden Aaronson.
However, at half-time, the hosts had made a quadruple sub to introduce Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers, Reece James and Pedro Neto. Then, an incredibly soft penalty against Dan James gave Palmer the chance to halve the deficit, which he did.
Moments later, the same man rolled him an equaliser as Leeds’ structure completely dissolved. Shortly after that, a breakaway allowed Pedro Neto a first-time effort to complete the comeback at 3-2, again with Leeds’ defence in complete disarray.
"This is a comeback of comebacks!"
Pedro Neto scores and Chelsea have turned it around eleven minutes after going 2-0 down! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/FTPuWcFqEX
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) September 9, 2026
4-2 followed as Danny Welbeck got in on the act. Only then did Daniel Farke respond with a change of approach, making four subs of his own as Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Noah Okafor, Anton Stach and Ao Tanaka entered the fray.
That change made a positive impact as Okafor supplied Calvert-Lewin to briefly restore hope. However, Valentin Barco and Welbeck again made sure with two more.
“Small detail” – Daniel Farke reacts to Leeds United’s crushing 6-3 defeat to Chelsea
For Farke, it was a lot to dissect after the full-time whistle blew.
You could point to the woeful refereeing of Jarred Gillet, the individuals capitulating in front of him, or his own lack of pragmatism in the face of a game that was clearly being ripped away from Leeds.
After the match, Farke spoke to LUTV about what unfolded.
“Yes, a bit of a crazy game. A bit unlike us to concede so many goals,” he said.“This is what happens when you rotate so much and it’s a bit of a risk like this, but I think overall, we were in full control after 60 minutes, scored the 2-0, and had everything under control. And then, Chelsea scored without having a chance. This small detail, of course, changed the momentum because we were in full control, so the stadium was quiet.
“A few players needed to get the chance today, and a few players need also a bit of rest, and for that we took the risk to be not flawless today. Also, when I judge a game in total, we had slightly more possession than Chelsea, exactly the same amount of expected goals, even more shots, anyhow. I think performance-wise we could take many, many positives from it.
“The concentration, focus on the small details, this is something where we have to be a bit self-critical, but to be honest, this game on Monday has more or less nothing to do with the game today.
“So for that, we are disappointed today because we wanted to win it and without this penalty given, was more than possible, but we will put this also pretty quick to bed and then concentrate on the bigger things.”
Daniel Farke must learn to handle second halves better for Leeds United
It’s an obvious weakness of Farke’s that he needs to iron out to be able to take Leeds to the places he wants to go.
There are so many strengths to put praise on, and the first 50 minutes of that game was what I mean. We were exceptional even with all the changes we made, and you have to give credit where it’s due.
However, the manner in which that game so quickly got away from us, when we could all see it coming from Chelsea’s changes, was alarming.
It’s not new, though. We didn’t respond against Brighton to the game state shifting in their favour. This is something that Farke has to figure out if he wants to kick on really high up the table.
Still, scoring three at Stamford Bridge is something that we can take away as some crumb of positivity.