Since the 2022 takeover, scrutiny has arguably never been higher at Chelsea than following Sunday’s Carabao Cup final defeat to Liverpool as Mauricio Pochettino’s “blue billion-dollar bottlejobs” were edged out by Jürgen Klopp’s inexperienced kids.
Of course, that narrative is somewhat misleading considering the Blues’ starting XI and finishing XI was, on average, younger than their Merseyside counterparts, but history is often written by the winners.
This FA Cup clash against old rivals Leeds at least offered the Premier League (PL) club a chance to bounce back immediately.
Still, things are never serene at Stamford Bridge nowadays, and within 10 minutes, they were behind to Mateo Joseph’s maiden career goal after they again invited a high press by trying to play out from the back. Considering recent results, the chances of a toxic atmosphere developing after the Whites’ opener were high.
Pochettino’s side, though, have shown spirit in recent weeks, coming from behind to beat Crystal Palace before drawing away at PL and UEFA Champions League holders Manchester City, and they provided another example here.
Prior to the quarter-hour mark, Nicolas Jackson ran onto a neat Moisés Caicedo pass and buried through Illan Meslier’s legs for the equaliser before Mykhailo Mudryk’s first-time finish from Raheem Sterling’s cutback later on in the half turned the game on its head.
Although a Jaydon Anthony curler threatened to find the far corner on the stroke of HT, the home team remained in front at the interval.
The advantage should have given Chelsea a boost after the break, but it instead seemed to hinder them.
They sat back and allowed their opponents to push forward, and that ultimately came back to haunt them.
Leeds – who are chasing promotion to the top flight – made five changes to the side that beat Championship leaders Leicester City last time out. Joseph was one of them, and he found the back of the net again to restore parity, heading Anthony’s pinpoint cross beyond Robert Sánchez.
For most of the second period, Leeds were on top, but with the game edging towards ET, Chelsea struck a decisive blow. Pochettino also shuffled his pack after the Liverpool clash, with Gallagher one of those to drop to the bench.
His teammates’ inability to see out the tie meant his impact was required, and he duly delivered, taking a lovely Enzo Fernández pass into his stride before sweeping beyond Meslier.
The Londoners held out to claim the win, and while it was perhaps harsh on the Yorkshire-based outfit, it was much-needed for the victory. Chelsea will now face Leicester City in the last eight, while Leeds turn their attention to their promotion battle.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Archie Gray (Leeds United)
