Chelsea vs Leeds United player ratings: Blues leave it late
Chelsea returned to winning ways as Jorginho’s stoppage-time penalty sealed a 3-2 victory against Leeds United at Stamford Bridge. The Blues went behind in the 28′ as Raphinha converted a penalty, which was conceded by Marcos Alonso for a foul on Daniel James. Mason Mount later leveled for the hosts as Alonso made up for his error by assisting the 22-year old, who turned it in at the near post. Jorginho put Chelsea ahead in the 58′ from the penalty spot, after Raphinha took down Antonio Rudiger in the box. Joe Gelhardt equalized from his first touch after coming on from the bench in the 83′, leaving Thomas Tuchel furious with his side. Just as the game looked done and dusted, Leeds defender Mateusz Klich conceded a stoppage-time penalty by fouling Rudiger, which was converted again by Jorginho to win the game.
Here’s how each Chelsea player fared in a lucky win against Leeds United:
Edouard Mendy (Goalkeeper): 6.5/10
The Senegalese international had a quiet opening half and only had to save Raphinha’s free kick. However, he was beaten from the spot in the 28′. In the second half, Mendy was regularly called into action and had to make multiple saves.
Cesar Azpilicueta (Right centerback): 6/10
The Chelsea captain had a very quiet first half as the Leeds attackers posed very little threat in the Blues’ half. In the second half, as Leeds pushed for an equalizer, Cesar Azpilicueta was regularly called upon to cut out play. The Spaniard, despite playing well, was continuously troubled by Raphinha. He was substituted by Andreas Christensen in the 74′.
Thiago Silva (Centerback): 7/10
The Brazilian veteran defended well against Daniel James in the first half and continued it in the second half too. The Welsh international was in behind the defense and came face-to-face with Silva, who got the better of the winger. Nevertheless, in the final 10 minutes of the game, Silva lost track of Gelhardt, who scored the equalizer, which luckily meant nothing in the end.
Antonio Rudiger (Left centerback): 7.5/10
Rudiger had a very lively first half and kept making his trademark runs forward in search of creating a goal-scoring chance. In the second half, Rudiger won two penalties, which turned out to be the decisive contribution(s) to the game. Defensively, the German coped well against Leeds’ attacking threat.
Andreas Christensen (Right centerback): 5/10
Christensen came on for Azpilicueta in the 64′ as a straight swap to deal with Leeds’ attack.