Match report and free highlights as goals from Brenden Aaronson, Rodrigo and Jack Harrison secured a convincing win for Leeds against Chelsea at Elland Road; a miserable day for the away side was capped when Kalidou Koulibaly was sent off late on
Monday 22 August 2022 06:09, UK
Edouard Mendy's howler set Leeds on their way to an emphatic 3-0 win as they overwhelmed Chelsea at Elland Road, with Thomas Tuchel saying the Blues 'lost the discipline'.
The Chelsea goalkeeper's error for the opening goal when he was dispossessed by Brenden Aaronson turned the game against Thomas Tuchel's side and when Rodrigo doubled the lead with his head just moments later it sparked wild scenes inside the stadium.
Chelsea made changes to formation and personnel but Jack Harrison's close-range strike midway through the second half ended any hope of a comeback and Tuchel's misery was compounded when Kalidou Koulibaly was sent off late on for a second bookable offence.
Rodrigo now has four goals in three games, stepping up in the absence of the injured Patrick Bamford, but the whole team typified the intensity of Leeds' game under Jesse Marsch. With seven points from three games, he has put his stamp on this side now.
Tuchel has bigger troubles. Conor Gallagher, on his full debut for the club, could not fill the void left by N'Golo Kante in midfield, and, though Raheem Sterling threatened early on, this Chelsea team were unable to cope with the intensity of the home side's work.
The uncertainty of the performance was not helped by the regular in-game formation changes as Tuchel switched from a back five to a four and back to a five. Koulibaly found himself on the right in the second half and his needless second yellow card for pulling back Joe Gelhardt summed up the ineptitude of Chelsea's display.
There is time to add depth in the transfer market but valuable points are being dropped in the meantime. Chelsea were seconds away from having six points from their first two games but Harry Kane's header followed by this result means they are stuck on four from three.
"I think we lost it in the first 20 minutes," said Tuchel. "We had enough chances to be one or two goals up but then we lost the discipline. We gave two goals away, totally cheap and unnecessary. After that, the game was almost done because you lift the spirit, the belief.
"Everyone sees the mistake, it is a huge mistake in a crucial time of the match. He is the one who is most disappointed but it has cost us a lot. The body language, even in the 10 minutes before, it was not like it was in the last match, that is how I felt it."
Did Leeds outwork them? Tuchel did not see it that way. "It was nothing to do with pressing, nothing to do with the style of Leeds. We should not confuse these two things. We gave an own goal away and a set-piece, that has nothing to do with anything."
Marsch has already had some dramatic wins as Leeds boss but nothing as complete as this performance, nothing against a team of this calibre. Even Marcelo Bielsa had only one Premier League home win against a top-six team and that was in an empty stadium against Ryan Mason's Tottenham. Elland Road was in ecstasy for this one.
The thrill for Marsch will be that his fingerprints were all over it. Tyler Adams, his compatriot, was superb in the middle of the pitch. He does not have Kalvin Phillips' range of pass but he brings plenty of other qualities. His tackle on Gallagher early in the game raised the crowd and set the tone for the performance.
The key moment was also made in America. Marsch had been urging his players forward from the outset - quite literally gesticulating as much with his arms - and that spirit was embodied by Aaronson for the opening goal. After losing possession, the player rushed Mendy in the Chelsea goal and induced the error.
"It shows you who wanted it more in that moment in time," Aaronson told Sky Sports afterwards. "We had the drive. We were pumped up. The crowd got us driven and that is the kind of goals we score." That is the kind of football these Leeds fans want to see too. Marsch's name was chanted briefly at the end. This is his team now.
Leeds are back in action at Elland Road on Wednesday evening when Barnsley are the visitors in the second round of the Carabao Cup. Their next Premier League game comes next Saturday when they are away to Brighton.
Chelsea are spared the second round of the cup because of their involvement in Europe so they have a free midweek until their next game when they host Leicester in the Premier League next Saturday.
