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Cole Palmer’s face mentioned all of it. His mouth agasp in utter disbelief, the 94th-minute open-goal miss of the weekend’s hat-trick hero maybe signalled the tip of Liam Rosenior’s honeymoon interval. And as soon as extra, it’s in opposition to Leeds United the place fortunes change for a Chelsea supervisor.
Earlier than the go to of Daniel Farke’s males, Rosenior’s early profession on the Stamford Bridge helm consisted of seven wins in 9 video games, solely struggling defeat in Chelsea’s two Carabao Cup semi-final legs in opposition to quadruple-chasing Arsenal. His spectacular document had admittedly been aided by a beneficial run of league fixtures, together with his solely top-half opponents coming within the type of Brentford in mid-January. However contemplating the backlash from a portion of the fanbase following his appointment, alarm bells had been but to actually sound on BlueCo’s decide.
Dropped factors in opposition to Leeds, nevertheless, could possibly be the truth verify that shifts the tide, as was the case in December. The guests’ dismantling of Chelsea on this season’s reverse fixture plunged a membership with a rising ambition of a title cost into turmoil. Defeat at Elland Highway, eight days on from a shocking 3-0 win over Barcelona, could be seen because the turning level that led to Enzo Maresca’s messy demise. A month and two wins in seven video games later, the Italian was sacked.
Chelsea had been overrun in that contest, falling sufferer to a blistering begin by Daniel Farke’s aspect as they fell behind inside six minutes. There was a short sense the identical was about to occur when Jayden Bogle, bizarrely enjoying in a second striker function moderately than his traditional wing-back place, discovered himself within the Blues field inside 60 seconds, a break stemming from Cole Palmer giving the ball away cheaply. With out Dominic Calvert-Lewin in help, who misplaced his race to make health, Bogle ended up working the ball out of play, nevertheless it was an early glimmer of hope for the guests.
That glimmer was swiftly snuffed out as Chelsea grew more and more snug. Leeds turned camped in their very own half because the hosts pressed and probed, who discovered the breakthrough within the twenty fourth minute because of a scything Chelsea transfer, cutely completed by Joao Pedro after being slipped in by Palmer.
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Joao Pedro opened the scoring for Chelsea (Getty)
That’s eight objective contributions in his final 9 outings for the Brazilian, who had seen his star fade after an electrical begin to his Chelsea profession. The moment impression he made in New Jersey final summer season, lighting up the latter levels of the Membership World Cup earlier than carrying that type into the opening weeks of the season, led many to tip him because the Premier League’s signing of the season. He’s now rediscovering the efficiency that justified that preliminary hype.
The roles of Chelsea goalscorer and supplier had been swapped after the break, in a manner. Jaka Bijol gifted the Blues a penalty within the 56th minute, pushing Joao Pedro within the again with each palms to ship the striker tumbling over. The Slovene’s appeals had been pointless – it was stonewall. And off the again of his first-half hat-trick at Molineux – together with two transformed spot-kicks – there was no mistake from Palmer, tucking previous Karl Darlow to double his aspect’s lead.
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Cole Palmer doubled Chelsea’s benefit from the spot (Chelsea FC by way of Getty Photos)
Chelsea had been cruising, with Rosenior wanting on target for an fourth straight league win. The brand new Blues boss has to date appeared impermeable to an upset – however then the wheels got here off.
Simply because it appeared a slipshod problem down one finish had put the sport out of sight for Leeds, a slipshod problem down the opposite finish supplied the guests a manner again. Moises Caicedo’s tripping of Bogle gave referee John Brooks one other easy determination to make, and Lukas Nmecha – deputising for Calvert-Lewin – despatched Robert Sanchez the mistaken manner.
Six minutes later, issues weren’t so black and white for the referee. Noah Okafor tucked into an open web after a calamitous mix-up between Sanchez and Josh Acheampong, who didn’t clear the ball after Bogle had compelled himself into the field. It appeared, nevertheless, that Chelsea’s sinners would get a reprieve, with replays exhibiting the ball to have touched Bogle’s arm within the build-up.
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Noah Okafor contentiously fired Leeds stage (Getty Photos)
A delay ensued – not so long as we’ve seen within the latest previous, however one important sufficient for house followers to consider a jog to the monitor was imminent. However that didn’t come; the objective was given. Leeds had been resurrected, Chelsea crestfallen.
Farke’s aspect nonetheless had 1 / 4 of an hour to outlive as Chelsea upped the ante, however whereas taking no credit score away from their defensive reslience, there was a way it simply wouldn’t fall for the hosts now that they’d surrendering complete management.
Joao Pedro was almost the hero as his late header crashed off the bar, nevertheless it’s Palmer who could have sleepless nights after skying a last-gasp likelihood with the objective gaping from a few yards out. Caicedo, who will need to have thought he’d arrange a late winner when squaring it throughout the six-yard field, couldn’t fairly consider his talisman hadn’t scored as he appeared lifelessly into the Matthew Harding Stand.
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Palmer was dejected after lacking a late sitter (Chelsea FC by way of Getty Photos)
Palmer was crouched, dejected, earlier than the full-time whistle even went, with Leeds winding down the ultimate seconds of the clock. For Farke’s aspect, it’s one other level in direction of survival.
Champions League qualification stays paramount for the Blues and this outcome by itself is not going to hurt them an excessive amount of, with sixth-placed Liverpool going into the matchweek 4 factors adrift. However as we noticed on the tail-end of 2025, issues can snowball and quick. Simply ask Rosenior’s predecessor.