There was no problem with Chelsea’s character. Three days after going to extra time against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final, they managed to find an extra surge of energy after being outplayed for long spells by Leeds.
Enzo Fernández, a member of the World Cup winning team, should take on more responsibility in his role. He was praised for his fantastic assist which led to Conor Gallagher scoring the winning goal in the FA Cup game. This ensured that Chelsea did not suffer the consequences of their subpar performance in a thrilling match.
However, despite Mauricio Pochettino’s celebration of his tumultuous young team advancing to face Leicester at home in the quarter-finals, he is aware that this victory was not entirely convincing. Chelsea, who still have a reputation as “blue billion-pound bottle jobs,” were at risk of being eliminated.
There is still little evidence that Pochettino is any closer to giving Chelsea an identity. Sometimes their players burst into life and produce moments of quality. Sometimes they look addicted to giving the ball away in their own area. Sometimes it looks as if they have never met each other.
Pochettino must find it challenging to understand everything that is happening. He likely realized that Leeds, who are currently second in the Championship, were much more organized despite not choosing their best team.
This is the initial encounter between these teams in this tournament since the 1970 championship game. It started with Chelsea facing difficulty in shaking off the sluggishness that affected them in their match against Liverpool.
Leeds prioritized automatic promotion, resulting in five changes from their previous win against Leicester. Despite this, they did not hesitate to attack. Daniel Farke’s team was determined to take advantage of Chelsea with an aggressive press, despite missing Georginio Rutter and benching Wilfried Gnonto, Crysencio Summerville, and Patrick Bamford.
The initial score exemplified this. After a lackluster defense by Alfie Gilchrist, who was filling in for the 20-year-old deputy left-back Ben Chilwell, Leeds almost scored with a shot from Dan James. Chelsea had to remain vigilant. However, their attempt to play the ball after a goal kick led to some trouble when goalkeeper Robert Sánchez, who is not known for his passing skills, passed to Axel Disasi.
Leeds entered the playing field. Despite lacking control when in possession, Disasi’s slow pass did not benefit Moisés Caicedo. However, opponents have also recognized a weaker aspect in Caicedo’s skills when he receives the ball farther back. As soon as he got the ball, Leeds targeted the £115m midfielder and Chelsea paid the price as Mateo Joseph scored against Sánchez.
Chelsea was likely still feeling the effects of Gary Neville’s teasing. Would they crumble once more? We didn’t have to wait long for the response. Caicedo and Noni Madueke worked together in the attacking third. A well-executed pass allowed Nicolas Jackson to break through and score an equalizing goal with an expertly angled shot.
Chelsea faces the challenge of performing those impressive moves on a regular basis. They were ahead in the 37th minute when Madueke skillfully made his way through from the left and Sterling assisted Mykhailo Mudryk in scoring, but their gameplay lacked consistency. Mudryk, in the role of No. 10, was not as skilled with the ball as Cole Palmer, who was given a rest. The defense appeared shaky and Sterling and Jackson struggled with keeping possession.
The Leeds team made a comeback. Archie Gray and Ethan Ampadu, who used to play for the opposing team, dominated the midfield, causing trouble for Caicedo and Fernández. Jaidon Anthony attempted a shot from far away that just missed. In the second half, Chelsea played defensively. Gray, who was confident and graceful with the ball, controlled the game.
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Chelsea struggled to assert themselves, as their counterattacks lacked confidence. It was predictable when Leeds managed to level the score. Anthony made a run past Malo Gusto and delivered a cross from the left, allowing Joseph to score with a header after getting past Trevoh Chalobah.
Pochettino responded by replacing Gusto and Madueke with Chilwell and Gallagher. Chelsea still toiled. It was Leeds who had the swagger. They were the side with a clear and established way of playing.
Leeds pushed forward, with Joseph narrowly missing his third goal. Chelsea relied on Palmer’s intelligence. The crowd erupted in applause as the midfielder replaced Raheem Sterling, who was jeered off the field for the second home game in a row.
Leeds maintained their lead, gaining confidence with the introduction of Gnonto and Summerville onto the field. Summerville made a quick impact, nearly scoring but ultimately shooting over the goal. He also missed a good opportunity after a mistake by Fernández.
Chelsea had enough time on their hands in the 90th minute for Fernández to showcase his skills and remind everyone of his world champion status. He effortlessly maneuvered his way into the left side, outplaying a few defenders and expertly passing the ball to Gallagher. The skillful finish by Gallagher relieved Chelsea of yet another potential crisis.
Source: theguardian.com
