Leeds United’s tremendous run in the Premier League shows no sign of slowing down, after securing a hard-fought 2-2 draw with Chelsea last night.
Daniel Farke’s men looked almost certain to be heading to a rare defeat in England’s top-flight, after Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer put the hosts two goals ahead.
However, the Whites’ never-say-die attitude was evident throughout the second half, with Lukas Nmecha’s sixth league goal of the season handing the side a lifeline.
lukas-nmecha-leeds-fulham
Parity was restored just six minutes later, as a scramble inside the Blues box saw the ball fall at the feet of Noah Okafor, who tapped home to make it two goals in as many games.
Despite the superb comeback at Stamford Bridge, multiple players who started the game massively failed to impress, which could lead to Farke dropping them from his starting eleven.
Leeds’ poor performers against Chelsea last night
Despite resurrecting his Leeds career throughout the 2025/26 campaign, Brenden Aaronson endured a quiet night by his usual high standards in West London last night.
The American was replaced with just a few minutes of the contest remaining, but struggled to make an impact on the pitch, as seen by his tally of zero chances created and zero dribbles completed.
Aaronson
He also failed to complete any of the crosses he put into the opposition area, whilst only registering 26 touches of the ball and subsequently being unable to have a huge bearing on the result.
However, the 25-year-old wasn’t alone in failing to impress, with centre-back Jaka Bijol unable to catch the eye for the right reasons in his first league start in over a month.
The Slovenian international gave away a needless penalty in the second half after shoving Pedro in the area, with his poor decision-making costing the Whites a chance to claim all three points.
He also failed to make any tackles at Stamford Bridge and made just one block in the defensive third, with his lack of league action certainly evident in his performance last night.
The Leeds player who needs to be dropped after Chelsea
Over the last few weeks, Leeds have now lost just two of their last 13 league matches, which has pulled the side six points clear of the drop zone with 12 games remaining.
Farke’s decision to switch to a three-man defensive unit has seemingly aided the recent form, subsequently only suffering defeats against Newcastle and Arsenal in such a period.
Leeds United manager Daniel Farke
The change in formation has allowed the side to become a more solid defensive unit, whilst also still allowing the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin to thrive in the final third.
However, during the recent clash against Chelsea, the manager handed a rare start to centre-back Sebastiaan Bornauw - a decision that now looks to have been the wrong one.
The Belgian, who joined the club from Wolfsburg in the summer, had only made three league starts prior to last night’s draw, with his showing highlighting why he’s not a regular starter.
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He partnered Bijol and Joe Rodon at the heart of the defence, but somehow managed to produce a worse display than the former, despite him conceding a penalty.
Bornauw featured for just 55 minutes before being replaced by goalscorer Okafor, with his withdrawal warranted based on his underlying figures from last night.
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The defender only registered 24 touches of the ball - fewer than Karl Darlow (56) and completed just 85% of the passes he attempted, with his lack of quality in possession evident throughout.
He subsequently gave the ball away on six separate occasions, which further highlights the defender’s struggles when having the ball at his feet at Stamford Bridge.
Sebastiaan Bornauw - stats against Chelsea
Statistics
Minutes played
Touches
Pass accuracy
Possession lost
Tackles won
Fouls committed
Aerials won
Dribbled past
The Belgian was just as dismal when trying to stop the opposition, failing to make any tackles, but making two fouls - which resulted in him picking up a booking.
Other tallies, such as 33% aerials won and being dribbled past twice, showcase his poor performance, which could lead to the player being dropped from the side.
After such a showing, Bornauw was handed a measly 4/10 match rating by journalist Graham Smyth, which further indicates his struggles against the Blues.
There’s no denying that Farke’s decision to switch to a back-three in recent months has saved the Whites’ season, with survival now a huge possibility come the end of the season.
daniel-farke-leeds
However, if the club are to be a Premier League outfit once again in 2026/27, it’s pivotal that the manager uses other options at the heart of the defence rather than Bornauw.
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