Leeds beat Chelsea 3-1 at Elland Road to move out of the Premier League relegation zone and deal a big blow to Chelsea’s title hopes. The win also ended Leeds’ run of four straight defeats.
Leeds started strongly and took the lead after five minutes when Jaka Bijol headed in Anton Stach’s corner. They could have scored again soon after, but Pascal Struijk headed wide.
Chelsea were slow and struggled to create chances, and Leeds punished them again just before half-time. Enzo Fernández lost the ball, and Ao Tanaka fired in a powerful shot from the edge of the box to make it 2-0.
Chelsea improved after the break. Robert Sánchez saved well from Lukas Nmecha, and moments later Chelsea pulled one back when Gittens crossed for substitute Neto to finish at the back post.
Maresca brought on Cole Palmer to push for an equaliser, but he missed a good chance. Chelsea then gifted Leeds a third goal when Tosin Adarabioyo allowed Noah Okafor to win the ball and set up Dominic Calvert-Lewin for a simple tap-in.
It was another tough night for Chelsea at Elland Road, where they’ve won only six of their 49 league visits. Leeds are now three points clear of the drop zone, while Chelsea remain fourth but lose ground in the title race.
