Three things we learned from Chelsea loss as dreadful defence exposed by reinvigorated Leeds | OneFootball

Enzo Maresca has learned of another key weakness in his squad

After a week of Enzo Maresca explaining why questions about Chelsea’s involvement in the title race are misplaced, perhaps it can be said that he is right to duck them for now.

A Leeds side captained by the former Chelsea defender Ethan Ampadu did a job on Maresca’s men, leaving them fourth in the table and shot of confidence after individual errors contributed to a defeat they surely can’t have seen coming.

Concerning defending

Chelsea were all at sea defensively, and that was clear to see particularly for the way they conceded the first and third goals.

In the sixth minute, Anton Stach’s corner was defended lazily by Chelsea.

More than one Leeds player got a march on his marker, including Jaka Bijol, who outleaped both Trevoh Chalobah and Liam Delap after a darting run to the front post. By that point unchallenged in the air, he headed home the opener.

Lazy? Jaka Bijol beat his man too easily to open the scoring for Leeds

REUTERS

And when Malo Gusto rolled to Tosin Adarabioyo with Chelsea 2-1 down and chasing the game in the second half, Tosin dawdled on the ball and miscontrolled.

That allowed Noah Okofar to steal in and for the ball to squirm through Sanchez’s body for the easiest of tap-ins Dominic Calvert-Lewin could ever hope for.

Chelsea far too casual

Maresca’s side could not deal with the back five system that Leeds used again after changing to it midway through the Manchester City game and so nearly, as a result, getting a draw out of a game they were losing 2-0.

Their well-structured pressing patterns caused Chelsea all sorts of problems in a match where the Blues just never really got going.

Feelings clear: Robert Sanchez was not at the races on Wednesday and made his frustration perfectly evident

AFP via Getty Images

Leeds supporters sensed their out-of-form team were up for it against a Chelsea side who began the day third in the table as soon as the Blues put themselves under needless pressure when Robert Sanchez under-hit a sideways pass to Marc Cucurella.

And for the second goal, Enzo Fernandez’s casual approach saw him dispossessed for Leeds’s second goal as Ao Tanaka struck a magnificent goal that put a Chelsea side already behind in heaps of trouble — and trouble from which they could never ultimately recover.

Palmer makes his return

The one sliver of positivity on a terrible night for Chelsea was the long-awaited return of Cole Palmer.

A whole 74 days after his last appearance, which came in the form of 21 minutes at Old Trafford in September before signalling to come off due to his groin injury, a fit-again Palmer was introduced after 61 minutes at Elland Road.

Back in the game: Cole Palmer

AFP via Getty Images

Off came Delap, and so Joao Pedro — pretty anonymous all night — moved up front as Palmer slotted into his favoured No10 position.

The Englishman will naturally take a number of games to get up to speed, and in truth a return off the bench here was always going to be a tough ask, given the confidence with which Leeds were playing and the predicament off-colour Chelsea had got themselves into.

But there were a couple of bright moments from the 23-year-old, who so nearly made it 2-2 when Alejandro Garnacho broke free down the left, pegged the ball back, and Palmer wrapped his foot round the ball with his left foot but fired just wide.

Close but no cigar. Closer than Chelsea were to ever getting something out of the game.