In a surprising midweek twist, Chelsea were outplayed and outworked by Leeds United, falling 3–1 and slipping out of the Premier League’s top three. Daniel Farke’s side, meanwhile, climb out of the relegation zone with a statement win.
- Leeds 3-1 Chelsea : Bijol 6’ Tanaka 43’ Calvert 72’ – Neto 56’
Leeds struck early, opening the scoring in the 6th minute through Bijol on a corner. Poorly defended and disorganized in their zonal marking, Chelsea’s back line gave the centre-back far too much room to convert. The Blues never really woke up, creating virtually nothing in the first half — Estevão was kept quiet, and the Delap–João Pedro duo offered no spark. The second blow came from an individual error: Enzo Fernández misplaced a pass straight into danger, allowing Tanaka to pounce and fire in a brilliant strike from 25 yards to make it 2–0.
Trailing and toothless, Chelsea finally showed signs of life after the introductions of Neto and Garnacho, who injected much-needed pace and verticality. Neto pulled one back to give the visitors hope, and Cole Palmer even had a clear chance to level the match. But just as the momentum shifted, another defensive mistake sealed Chelsea’s fate. Tosin’s poorly judged backpass put his goalkeeper under pressure, gifting Calvert-Lewin the opportunity to restore Leeds’ two-goal cushion.
Chelsea now drop off the podium and sit nine points behind Arsenal, their title hopes taking another unwelcome hit.