Leeds midfielder Brenden Aaronson celebrates scoring against Chelsea
Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs
Leeds United ran Premier League champions Arsenal close on Saturday as they looked to leapfrog Mikel Arteta's men in the table.
James Justin's opening goal in the second half was cancelled out by goals from Riccardo Calafiori and Bruno Guimaraes as Leeds suffered their first league defeat of the campaign at the Emirates.
It tells you how far the Yorkshire outfit have come in the last 12 months that they would have been disappointed to leave north London with nothing, following another positive performance from Daniel Farke's men.
Leeds have a great chance to bounce back against Michael Carrick's Manchester United at Elland Road this weekend, with the 45-year-old under mounting pressure at Old Trafford after winning just two of nine matches in all competitions this term.
Their fine form this term has resulted in Farke largely settling on his strongest XI, which includes Ethan Ampadu, Ao Tanaka and Anton Stach in midfield, and no Noah Okafor and Dominic Calvert-Lewin ahead of them.
It has meant that someone like Brenden Aaronson has had to settle with coming off of the substitutes' bench in recent weeks, having started their opening two Premier League matches of the campaign.
The USA international signed a new three-year contract in August, but he still divides opinion among some of the Elland Road faithful.
His work-rate is phenomenal and he is clearly a team player given the ground he covers, but he has also come under criticism at times for his lack of awareness and end product.
It remains to be seen if Aaronson can be a regular starter for Leeds moving forward if they want to progress to the next level, but for now, as a squad player he is probably enough.
There is one of the American's teammates who may be fighting for their future though, in winger Daniel James.
James Running Out of Time at Leeds
Daniel James Leeds
Daniel James Leeds
The Wales international only made six starts on Leeds' return to the Premier League last season, which was partly down to the injury problems he was suffering from throughout the campaign.
He may have started two of their final three top flight fixtures last term, but he has also seen the club add Harry Wilson and Jean-Matteo Bahoya to the squad this season.
Neither player has fully got going in a white shirt and if they do, then James' place in the squad could even be under threat.
It's already at risk anyway, with Farke settling on a system that incorporates wing-backs this term, as Jayden Bogle and Gabriel Gudmundsson establish themselves as two of the most important players in the team.
The 28-year-old's minutes have been limited this term and he then missed the trip to Arsenal at the weekend because of a back issue, following on from his injury problems in the previous campaign.
With the new players coming in and Leeds looking to reach the next level in the coming years after surviving their first year back in the Premier League, it's hard to see James having a long-term future at Elland Road unless he really starts to perform consistently.
One goal and no assists in over a year is simply not good enough for an attacking player in a team looking to push on in the Premier League, and he needs to get himself fit and producing more goal contributions if he wants to have any chance of fulfilling his contract at the club, which runs until 2029.