Chelsea were denied a fifth straight Premier League win under Liam Rosenior as a depleted Leeds United fought back from two goals down to secure a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.
The Blues have now lost 17 points from winning positions this season, 15 of them at home.
Chelsea Takes Early Control
Chelsea appeared firmly in control after Joao Pedro opened the scoring in the 24th minute, finishing off a neat move involving Cole Palmer for his sixth goal since Rosenior replaced Enzo Maresca last month.
Palmer doubled the lead from the penalty spot in the 58th minute after Leeds stand-in centre-back Jaka Bijol shoved Joao Pedro in the box.
Leeds Mount Second-Half Comeback
Leeds sparked into life midway through the second half. Lukas Nmecha converted a penalty in the 67th minute to pull one back.
Substitute Noah Okafor tapped into an empty net six minutes later after Chelsea failed to clear their lines.
Leeds then withstood late pressure to secure the draw.
Managers React To The Result
“The ridiculous thing for us is that they’ve managed to score two goals in a five-minute period,” Rosenior said.
“For the other 90 minutes we were by far the better team.”
Leeds manager Daniel Farke praised his injury-hit squad’s resilience, saying:
“We have this never-say-die attitude”.
The draw leaves Chelsea fifth, one point behind Manchester United. Meanwhile, Leeds climb to 15th, a point above Tottenham Hotspur.
Rosenior Reflects On Missed Opportunity
Rosenior had spoken earlier in the week about his side’s “extreme mental toughness” following comeback wins against West Ham United in the league and Napoli in the Champions League.
However, after Tuesday’s collapse, the Chelsea coach admitted his team failed to manage key moments.
“We have to just make sure we take care of moments and be professional,” he said.
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