Leeds dent Chelsea's title ambitions
ALL IN: Ao Tanaka (second left) celebrates with his team-mates after scoring Leeds' second goal against Chelsea at Elland Road. Picture: Mike Egerton/PA
Leeds made the most of the significant help on offer from an inept Chelsea to ease the pressure on Daniel Farke with a gift-wrapped win.
The Blues' comedic efforts reached a nadir with 18 minutes remaining when as Tosin Adarabioyo attempted to play the ball out from the back, the hapless defender was dispossessed in his own six yard box by Noah Okafor.
The Leeds substitute won the subsequent 50/50 challenge with goalkeeper Robert Sanchez to allow Dominic Calvert-Lewin to tap the loose ball into an unguarded net to seal a priceless win for the hosts.
It was a deserved three points for the Elland Road side and buys valuable time for their German manager whose future had looked increasingly uncertain after four consecutive victories in the run up to this contest.
Employing an unfamiliar though highly-effective back three, Leeds cruised into a two-goal lead at the break that flattered Chelsea more than the dominant hosts.
Farke's men got off to the perfect start to underline their status as the most potent side in the opening 15 minutes of Premier League matches this season with a fifth goal in that early period as Chelsea paid for a glaring lack of urgency from the off.
Anton Stach swung in an inviting sixth-minute corner from the left and Jaka Bijol did the rest. The Slovenian defender evaded his marker Liam Delap before easily out-jumping a static Trevoh Chalobah to beat Robert Sanchez with a powerful near post header from six yards.
A lethargic Chelsea clearly didn't learn their lesson and Pascal Struijk should have doubled the lead in near identical circumstances when the centre-back headed wide from another Stach corner as the visitors' belated concentration on Bijol left his defensive partner free six yards out.
Stach was at the heart of all Leeds' good work and after a surging run down the left, the German midfielder's cut-back deserved better than a tame Ao Tanaka shot from the edge of the box which dribbled apologetically wide of Sanchez's left-hand post.
Chelsea finally began to get something of a foothold in the contest as half-time approached, but were let down by Delap's lack of trust in his left foot when he produced an awkward attempted shot with his right after being given a glimpse of goal on the edge of the area by Joao Pedro's astute pass.
It was a brief respite from Leeds' first-half dominance and two minutes before the interval, Tanaka made up for his earlier miss to score his side's second with a sumptuous finish for his first Premier League goal of the season.
Enzo Fernandez surrendered possession on the edge of his own box allowing Jayden Bogle to tee-up the Japan international Tanaka to beat Sanchez with a thumping low finish from 18 yards.
It took a fine save from the Chelsea keeper to deny Lukas Nmecha from sweeping home his side's third goal at the outset of the second half.
Chelsea made the most of their escape to halve the deficit with their first effort on target four minutes after the break. Pedro Neto made an instant impact after coming off the bench as the Portuguese midfielder was given time to take a touch before powering home a Jamie Gittens cross at the far post.
In an increasingly open contest, Nmecha's celebrations at restoring the two-goal lead were short lived after the forward's impressive finish on the turn was ruled out for offside.
Chelsea, who saw the return of Cole Palmer off the bench for the final half an hour, saw their reprieve short lived as Calvert-Lewin gratefully accepted Tosin's late gift to seal a deserved win.
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