Chelsea have finally ended their long wait for a goal and a victory after Graham Potter’s side overcame Leeds United with a nervy 1-0 victory at Stamford Bridge. The pressure was on the west London side to end their dismal run of form and relieve the pressure on their manager’s shoulders with a must-win fixture against relegation-threatened Leeds.
A bright start from the hosts saw Joao Felix hit the crossbar a quarter of the way after 22 minutes following a delightful combination with Raheem Sterling. But Leeds settled and began to make inroads themselves, with Crysencio Summerville the danger on the ball.
Seven minutes in the second half, Chelsea finally experienced the joy of finding the back of the net when Ben Chilwell’s corner found the rising Wesley Fofana to head home past Ilan Meslier. Leeds pressed for an equaliser as Chelsea sat perilously on their slender advantage, but they hold on to clinch three precious points and ease the burden on under-fire coach Potter.
Express Sport looks at the three best performers after Chelsea finally got back to winning ways.
Wesley Fofana
Having replaced Thiago Silva against Tottenham last week, there were concerns over whether the youngster could step in for the Brazilian. But from the off, he led by example with the kind of passion and desire that has been missing from certain players this season.
Just when the nerves were starting to settle in at Stamford Bridge, the Frenchman leapt high to meet Ben Chilwell’s corner and head past Ilan Meslier to finally end their five-game run without a goal.
After a spate of injuries and frustration on the sidelines, Fofana has finally given something to suggest his hefty £70million fee was well spent. It wasn’t the prettiest way to win the game, but neither Chelsea or Fofana will care after ending their dismal run in front of goal.
Ben Chilwell
This was the Chilwell of old, venturing into the attacking areas of the pitch in his favoured wing-back role. He may have lost a yard of the pace that helped him beat players in the wide areas but he seems to have crafted the technical side to his game during his comeback.
His performance alone might have been enough to convince Potter to stick with the wing-backs formation for their midweek clash with Borussia Dortmund.
It was his quality in-swinging delivery that invited Fofana to head home, but it was his overall performance that would have pleased Potter – and proved why the manager was vindicated in choosing him over Marc Cucurella once again.
Mateo Kovacic
It is no surprise that Chelsea have lacked pace in their movement in the midfield with Kovacic out injured. But with the Croatian back in the starting XI, he made others around him feel more confident with the ball at their feet.
Reports have suggested that the 30-year-old could be on his way out of the club in the summer as his contract is expiring. On this evidence, the Blues must do all they can to ensure he sticks around. Kovacic’s movement from box to box was exceptional as usual as he showed a willingness to carry the ball forward and take the game to Leeds.
Potter would have been pleased to see how he and Enzo Fernandez linked up in the double pivot, showing an impressive range of passing in the process. And the fact he brought both off early in the second half suggests he will start them against when they face Dortmund.
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