Leeds United 3 Chelsea 0
There was sound from the raucous Leeds congregation and a relentless fury to their side’s play. It yielded a fine second victory of the season, a fourth Premier League goal for the captain, Rodrigo, and a first one for the eye-catching young US international, Brenden Aaronson.
Most of all Jesse Marsch’s mode of play suggests it was a smart move to sack Marcelo Bielsa in February as the former took over with the team two points above the drop zone. What followed was a final-day survival act and time for Marsch to implement his ideas across a full pre-season.
Seven points thus far this term and this invigorating dismantling of Chelsea are the fruits.
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Worse, for Thomas Tuchel, is how the visiting manager was seriously out-thought by an opposite number taking charge of only his 15th game in English football.
After last week’s “handshake-gate” with Antonio Conte, Tuchel warmly did the honours with Marsch but the Chelsea coach will have to seriously revive his side before Saturday’s visit of Leicester.
As with all of those in blue, Raheem Sterling was bright initially then faded. He went close to opening his Chelsea goal ledger when Conor Gallagher poked the ball down the left. In blazing sunshine, Sterling skipped infield and unloaded at Illan Meslier’s goal: for a moment the stadium hushed before relief surged from the local support as the ball missed to the goalkeeper’s left hand post.
Sterling was soon again incisive, this time prodding the ball to Mason Mount whose awareness allowed him to succeed with a no-look pass to Ruben Loftus-Cheek. He should have shot instantly but dawdled and again Leeds escaped.
Those in white were to prove effervescent throughout. Aaronson, once of Philadelphia Union and RB Salzburg, was a floating playmaker who shone all match, one surge along the right troubling Kalidou Koulibaly enough for him to yank the No 7 down.
The Leeds faithful howled, Stuart Attwell waved a yellow card, and in went a free-kick that Chelsea scrambled clear.
The heat seemed to invigorate the players who were making this a pageant of action. Sterling did now beat Meslier but his strike was ruled offside. Almost instantaneously Aaronson again darted at Koulibaly down the right as Leeds swapped possession with a rat-a-tat rhythm.
When Rodrigo swooped along a left channel and fired across Édouard Mendy he went close and Chelsea were warned. The response was impressive: Kai Havertz, on halfway, nodded to Mount and this free-flowing footballer bamboozled two defenders before Meslier saved a low effort to his left.
For a passage Chelsea camped in Leeds territory. Gallagher, Sterling, Marc Cucurella, Thiago Silva and Jorginho engineered a sequence of keep-ball that had their opponents chasing.
Leeds’ way out was to nab possession and, via Rasmus Kristensen, ping another pass to Aaronson down the right. This won a corner and led to nothing yet the 21-year-old seemed most likely creator for his team.
A pirouette was followed by a burst into open field and when Aaronson next acted it was decisive. Silva played the ball to Mendy who was about to endure the proverbial nightmare. A Cruyff turn went awry and Aaronson pounced and finished from inches out. Cue the player, Marsch and Leeds fans going ballistic.
Next up was double trouble for Chelsea. From the left Jack Harrison stood a free-kick up and Rodrigo, beating a static Reece James, headed sweetly home. Against a wall of delirious sound, Tuchel stood sullen-faced and what Mendy thought after the error that presaged this passage could surely be guessed.
At the break Leeds were roared off. They deserved it. To the question of whether they could maintain their intensity, the answer was a resounding yes. Daniel James and Rodrigo led the charge by threatening Mendy’s goal when the match resumed. And, if Chelsea attacked, they were squeezed – as Cucurella and Sterling found near Leeds’ area.
Tuchel, disenchanted, replaced his midfield, hooking the ineffective Jorginho and Gallagher for Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech. It affected nothing as an afternoon to remember for Leeds was crowned by Harrison scoring the third. A James chip aimed for Aaronson was turned back by Rodrigo and Harrison could hardly miss.
As the contest neared its end Koulibably grabbed Joe Gelhardt, on as a substitute, out came Attwell’s red card and Chelsea’s misery was complete.
“We all love Leeds,” sang the fans. Only a dullard would fail to admire this scintillating performance.
– Guardian
