Chelsea dropped points for the second game in a row, suffering a disappointing 3-1 defeat away to Leeds United at Elland Road. The Blues put in a lacklustre performance in a tough environment, and never really managed to get into the game.
It was a poor start for Enzo Maresca’s side, who went 1-0 down inside the first six minutes after a fast start from the Whites. It was slack defending from a corner, with Jaka Bijol making a darting run from the edge of the penalty box and heading home at the near post.
The home side doubled their lead on the stroke of half-time. It was yet more questionable defending from the West Londoners, who let Ao Tanaka have acres of space just outside the area. The Japanese international unleashed a vicious shot which nestled into the back of the net.
Chelsea did pull a goal back, with just 50 minutes on the clock. Pedro Neto managed to shake off his marker and pull to the back post, firing home Jamie Gittens’ cross.
It was all in vain, though, after a defensive error with 18 minutes to go meant Leeds scored a third and sealed the win.
It was a disappointing night for Chelsea, with some particularly worrying performances across the board.
Chelsea’s worst performers vs. Leeds
There were some notable bad showings from a few of Maresca’s men against Leeds. One of those came from Tosin Adarabioyo. It was his error which led to Leeds’ third goal and all but secured the three points for the West Yorkshire side.
The former Fulham man received the ball inside the penalty area and took a heavy touch before playing a five-yard pass back to Robert Sanchez.
It was a frustrating lack of awareness from the Chelsea number four, who put his goalkeeper under pressure from the Leeds press.
Another member of the Chelsea side who struggled was centre-forward Liam Delap. It was a night where the Blues’ number nine seemed isolated. Aside from a snapshot in the second half, which he fired over the crossbar, he did little to trouble the Leeds defence.
One person who was critical of Delap’s performance at Elland Road was Goal journalist Tom Ritchie. He gave the English striker a 4/10 for his efforts, and described him as a ‘bystander’ during the first half.
Those two Chelsea stars were not the only players to struggle on Wednesday night, though.
Maresca could boldly bench £180k-per-week Chelsea star
It was a night to forget for Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez. The Argentine, who captained the Blues at Elland Road, struggled to get any sort of control in midfield.
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Perhaps that coincided with the fact that his usual partner in the centre of the park, Moises Caicedo, was suspended.
Chelsea’s number eight was arguably at fault for Tanaka’s goal. He was dispossessed in midfield, facing his own goal, with the ball breaking loose, a situation Leeds capitalised on.
This weighed into the 3/10 rating he got from Ritchie, who said he ‘looked rattled at times’. Indeed, Fernandez’s stats from the game show how much of a tough night it was.
Normally, so good on the ball, the £180k-per-week asset only had a pass accuracy of 77% in the Whites’ half, losing the ball 21 times. He also failed to complete a dribble or a tackle.
Touches
106
Opposition half pass accuracy
77%
Number of times ball lost
21
Unsuccessful touches
5
Ground duels won
1/4
Tackles
0
Dribbles
0
After a showing like that, it will be interesting to see if Maresca keeps Fernandez in the starting lineup for their next game against Bournemouth this Saturday. He certainly struggled without Caicedo next to him, and Reece James inverting from right-back.
There are options at his disposal, too. Cole Palmer is now back from injury and played 30 minutes at Elland Road on Wednesday. Whether or not he can play from the start remains to be seen, but he could slot into the side.
Alternatively, James could be brought back into the starting XI and operate in midfield, as he has done this season to a good degree of success.
Fernandez’s performance at Elland Road was disappointing, and it would not be a surprise if he dropped out of the side, especially with options at Maresca’s disposal.
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