Chelsea 2-2 Leeds: Liam Rosenior's side throw away two-goal lead and miss chance to go fourth
Report and free match highlights as Chelsea fail to capitalise on Man Utd dropping points at West Ham by capitulating in 2-2 draw with Leeds; Chelsea dominated and led through Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer before contentious goals from Lukas Nmecha and Noah Okafor took Leeds above Spurs
Wednesday 11 February 2026 00:44, UK
Cole Palmer missed a stoppage-time sitter after Chelsea threw away a two-goal lead in a 2-2 draw with Leeds United as Liam Rosenior's side passed up the chance to go fourth in the Premier League.
Stamford Bridge was in a state of disbelief when Palmer skied over from point-blank range in the dying seconds. He could - and should - have won it after Leeds clawed their way back from a seemingly impossible position. This was a missed opportunity for Chelsea.
"He's in the position, 999 times out of 1,000 he scores," Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior said of Palmer. "It was just that one in 1,000 moment."
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Chelsea will be scratching their heads over how they let their lead slip. Palmer had scored from the spot to make it 2-0 just before the hour after he had set up Joao Pedro for his chipped first-half opener. They were cruising and Leeds were all over the place.
On course for a fifth straight league win under Rosenior, Chelsea capitulated by conceding two sloppy goals in six second-half minutes. Lukas Nmecha's penalty and substitute Noah Okafor's equaliser were Leeds' only shots on target of the game.
Daniel Farkes' side, without top scorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin at Chelsea due to illness, move above Tottenham in the table up to 15th and remain six points clear of safety thanks to Manchester United snatching a late 1-1 draw at West Ham.
That last-gasp Benjamin Sesko goal at West Ham kept Chelsea in fifth on what can only be described as an exasperating night for Rosenior, who remains unbeaten after five league games. Still with plenty to do, however.
Should Leeds' goals have stood?
There was no doubt about referee Rob Jones' decision to award a spot-kick when Jaka Bijol inexplicably pushed Joao Pedro in the back for Chelsea's second goal.
It was a carbon copy of the penalties Chelsea won at Wolves on Saturday. Palmer, as he did twice at Molineux, finished with ease, sending Karl Darlow the wrong way.
However, both of Leeds' goals came from officiating decisions that were questioned by former Premier League referee Mike Dean.
Okafor's 73rd-minute equaliser was allowed to stand despite the ball clearly hitting Jayden Bogle's elbow in the build-up. VAR was powerless to intervene after the referee failed to award a free-kick because Bogle's intervention did not lead directly to the goal.
"It's hit Bogle's elbow," Dean said on Soccer Special. "I was surprised it wasn't disallowed. I can only assume they think it's accidental."
Chelsea had more than enough opportunity to deal with the situation but failed to clear the initial, hopeful ball over the top before allowing Okafor to pop up and poke home an equaliser to send the travelling fans wild.
Nmecha had earlier pulled a goal back for Leeds from a penalty that Bogle won after going down under a challenge from Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo that Dean deemed to be soft.
"It looked a bit harsh," said Dean. "Bogle kind of kicks the back of Caicedo."
Rosenior fumes over Leeds equaliser
Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior to TNT Sports on Leeds' equaliser:
"At the time I did [think the ball touched Bogle's arm]. If there's any contact, it should be disallowed.
"The rule is the rule. From my understanding, if there's any handball in the lead up to a goal, it shouldn't stand. So if they've said [it was not deliberate] then someone explain the rules to me. They need to help the referee.
"You saying that [the officials said it was not deliberate] has only got me angrier. That's unacceptable if they've come with that judgement."
Why was Leeds' equaliser allowed to stand?
Premier League rules state a goal should only be disallowed for handball if the offence directly leads to the goal, or the goal is scored immediately after the offence.
Bogle's handball did not directly lead to the goal, and Chelsea had chances to clear the ball before Okafor scored. The only way Bogle could have been punished for the offence was if Jones gave a foul for the handball at the time.
Farke: Fantastic outcome in the circumstances
Leeds boss Daniel Farke to TNT Sports:
"Very proud. Difficult game for us. We had to change our back five.
"Two-nil down, we gave gifts away. But to show such mentality to come back, the boys did us proud.
"We fought so hard for this point and it's deserved.
"We dug in for the last five minutes and maybe we were a bit lucky. But it's a fantastic outcome in the circumstances."
