Leeds United stunned Chelsea on their way to a 3-1 victory that lifts them out of the Premier League relegation zone.
Daniel Farke described the win as “a long time coming after many good performances”. The hosts made a blistering start and were rewarded in the sixth minute when Jaka Bijol rose to head Anton Stach’s corner past Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.
Chelsea had plenty of possession after going behind, but Leeds doubled their lead before the break with a superb Ao Tanaka strike.
Pedro Neto was introduced at half-time and swiftly got a goal back, but after Lukas Nmecha saw a goal ruled out, the visitors were caught out for a chance that Dominic Calvert-Lewin gratefully converted.
After the humbling defeat, Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca conceded: “They were better than us in all aspects, they deserved to win the game. There is nothing we can take from this game; the only thing we can do is to try and understand what we did and then reset.”
Leeds United player ratings
Lucas Perri - 6/10: Got away with a shaky moment under pressure from Joao Pedro but was given little hope of saving Neto’s goal.
Jaka Bijol - 9/10: Scored the opener with a superb header and was uncompromising defensively, even when teammate Ethan Ampadu was in the way. Put in a brilliant tackle on Malo Gusto.
Joe Rodon - 8/10: Was solid defensively throughout and hardly put a foot wrong all game.
Pascal Struijk - 8/10: Another who did well defensively, but he will have been desperately disappointed after heading wide.
Jayden Bogle - 8/10: Set the tone when he closed down Marc Cucurella in the early stages and didn’t let up at all. Laid the ball off for Tanaka’s goal but was beaten by Jamie Gittens for Chelsea’s goal.
Ao Tanaka - 8/10: Was fearless on the ball, and having sent two tame shots wide he emphatically smashed the ball in from range for his first Premier League goal.
Ethan Ampadu - 9/10: Disciplined in the heart of Leeds’ midfield, even after being taken out by Bijol, and put in some great tackles while also doing well on the ball.
Anton Stach - 8/10: Showed intent with his shooting from the very beginning and delivered the corner for the opener. Picked up an unnecessary booking for a mistimed tackle on Cucurella.
Gabriel Gudmundsson - 8/10: Was dominant against Estevao and blocked two shots in quick succession, although he lost Neto for the goal. Showed plenty of intent going forward.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin - 8/10: Was a real handful and won plenty of headers. He also scored a deserved goal, having sent a bicycle kick over the crossbar.
Lukas Nmecha - 8/10: Linked the play brilliantly and won the ball back for Tanaka’s goal. Sent an attempt straight at Robert Sanchez, then saw a goal disallowed due to Calvert-Lewin being offside.
Substitutes
Ilia Gruev (for Tanaka, 67’) – 6/10: Put in some good tackles and worked hard for the team.
Noah Okafor (for Nmecha, 67’) - 7/10: Won the ball from Tosin and challenged Sanchez for Calvert-Lewin’s goal. Continued to work tirelessly but didn’t get enough on his shot to punish a poor Sanchez pass.
Joel Piroe (for Calvert-Lewin, 86’) – N/R: Did well to protect the ball at times.
James Justin (for Bogle, 87’) – N/R: Eased Alejandro Garnacho off the ball on a couple of occasions.
Sebastiaan Bornauw (for Gudmundsson, 94) – N/R: Came on for his Premier League debut and got a few touches.
Chelsea player ratings
Robert Sanchez - 4/10: Had some unconvincing moments with his feet and could only palm Bijol’s header into his own net after getting both hands to it. Did well to save Nmecha’s attempt.
Trevoh Chalobah - 5/10: Was beaten to Stach’s corner by Bijol for the opener and continued to look unconvincing in aerial duels. He at least stopped a dangerous Bogle run.
Tosin Adarabioyo - 3/10: Had so much of the ball but did nothing with it and lost possession in his own box for Leeds’ third of the game.
Benoit Badiashile - 3/10: Some of his passing was incredibly sloppy and he never looked like doing much with the ball. It wasn’t surprising to see him come off at half time.
Marc Cucurella - 6/10: Competed but struggled against Bogle at times, which resulted in the Spaniard looking frustrated.
Andrey Santos - 5/10: Blocked a Stach shot but saw a sloppy pass cut out by the German at the start of a dangerous move.
Enzo Fernandez - 4/10: Tried to get Chelsea going early on but he couldn’t and lost the ball in a dangerous area for Tanaka’s goal. Saw a tame shot cleared and blazed a late effort over.
Estevao - 3/10: Endured a very frustrating half, which was encapsulated by the frustrated kick on Gudmundsson that earned him a yellow card before he was substituted at half-time.
Joao Pedro - 5/10: Couldn’t capitalise on Perri’s moment of indecision but had some promising moments, including the ball he slipped through for Liam Delap’s chance.
Jamie Gittens - 6/10: Offered nothing in the first half, but he breezed past Bogle before setting up Neto’s goal.
Liam Delap - 5/10: Lost Bijol for the opener but had some nice moments of centre forward play. Saw a poked shot saved in the first half and fired wide on a couple of occasions in the second.
Substitutes
Pedro Neto (for Estevao, HT) – 7/10: Scored within five minutes of his introduction and had some bright moments, but couldn’t get his team back into the game.
Malo Gusto (for Badiashile, HT) – 5/10: There were points where it looked like he added some quality to Chelsea’s build-up, but his pass ahead of the third Leeds goal was lazy.
Alejandro Garnacho (for Gittens, 61’) - 5/10: Put in great work to set up Palmer but struggled with his own end product at times and sent a late cross straight into Perri’s arms.
Cole Palmer (for Delap, 61’) - 5/10: Making his return from injury, Palmer guided his shot narrowly wide and struggled to have his usual impact.
Marc Guiu (for Andrey Santos, 77’) – N/R: Headed over the crossbar from a Gusto cross.
