Chelsea’s Premier League title hopes suffered a major blow on Wednesday night when they suffered a shock 3-1 defeat to struggling Leeds United, sparking fury in manager Enzo Maresca’s eyes.
The Blues didn’t look like title contenders, producing a poor, error-ridden performance at Elland Road in which Leeds, who had lost their last four matches, completely dominated them.
Leeds attacked Chelsea early and strongly.
Jaka Bijol opened the scoring in the sixth minute with a powerful header from Anton Stach’s corner, smoothing over Chelsea’s sluggish start.
Just before halftime, Ao Tanaka produced a sensational strike from the edge of the box, sending a powerful shot past Robert Sanchez to double the lead.
Chelsea, without suspended midfielder Moises Caicedo, were the second-best team in any formation in a disastrous first half, which Maresca later called “a very poor evening.”
Neto offers hope, but disaster strikes
Substitute Pedro Neto scored after the break, neatly finishing Jamie Gittens’ cross, giving Chelsea a chance to win. Moments later, returning attacker Cole Palmer almost equalized, sending a low shot inches wide.
But just as Chelsea began to show their vitality, they self-destructed.
A chaotic defensive error put Malo Gusto in trouble, causing panic for Tosin Adarabioyo. His misplaced pass was intercepted by Noah Okafor, and although Sanchez saved his initial shot, Dominic Calvert-Lewin chipped in from the rebound for Leeds’ third goal leaving Maresca stunned on the touchline.
Maresca: “Nobody was at their best”
The Chelsea manager was emotional after the match.
“They were better than us in every respect,” admitted Maresca. “A very poor evening. Nobody was at their best.”
He also noted that the team looked physically and mentally exhausted after Sunday’s thrilling 1-1 draw with Arsenal, in which they played mostly with ten men.
Title hopes fading?
The defeat ends Chelsea’s eight-match unbeaten run and leaves them nine points behind league leaders Arsenal. With Caicedo suspended for the upcoming matches, Maresca warned that his team must “recover quickly” to remain in the title race.
For Leeds, it was a huge victory, one that could reignite their relegation battle.
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