Leeds United 3-0 Chelsea player ratings: Away day disaster

After the controversial game against London rival Tottenham Hotspur, the feeling at Chelsea was seemingly quite positive. The fans saw a better than expected performance from every player on the pitch last weekend, but they were brought back down to Earth at Elland Road. The performance at Leeds United showed that there is still a long way to go for the Blues. It is now very difficult to see the team earning a position in top four this season.

From the get-go, the Whites were on the front foot and pressed the life out of the Chelsea defence. Very early on, Conor Gallagher—who made his debut start for the club—threaded a pass to Raheem Sterling, whose effort went just wide of the post. Apart from this, the only other real effort came from Mason Mount’s shot that troubled Illan Meslier all match. That was as good as it got for the Blues. In the 33′, Edouard Mendy conceded a woeful goal by getting pick pocketed by Brendan Aaronson. The new Leeds signing walked the ball into the net to give the hosts the advantage early on. Four minutes later, Leeds United doubled its lead through Rodrigo, as he headed in Jack Harrison’s cross from a free kick. The lack of man-marking and awareness from even the likes of Thiago Silva and Reece James was astonishing.

In the second half, Chelsea tried to take hold of the game, but the energy level of the Whites was too much to cope for the the Blues’ players. They failed to score or even create any clear-cut chances. In the 69′, the game was all done and dusted by Harrison, who scored Leeds’ third goal to put the game to the bed. The day went from bad to worse as Kalidou Koulibaly was shown a second yellow in the 85′ to pile the misery on all Chelsea fans watching around the world. This will be a long season, it’s time to get ready for the rollercoaster.

Here’s how each of the Blues’ players fared in a woeful performance against Leeds United.