The worst version of Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea showed up to play at Elland Road and were emphatically defeated 3–1 by Leeds United in the Premier League on Wednesday night.
Jaka Bijol scored the opener just six minutes into the match before an Ao Tanaka strike doubled the Leeds lead on the brink of half-time.
Pedro Neto gave Chelsea life with a goal inside the first five minutes of the second half. However, an egregious defensive blunder allowed Dominic Calvert-Lewin to score a Leeds third to hammer the final nail in Chelsea’s coffin.
Only a week after Chelsea dominated Barcelona, they delivered their most abject performance of the season against Leeds to drop to fourth in the Premier League standings. If the inconsistency continues, it’s impossible to view them as genuine title contenders this season.
Chelsea Player Ratings vs. Leeds (4-2-3-1)
GK: Robert Sánchez—5.9: After a good run of performances, Sánchez returned to his old, nervy, mistake-prone self. Could’ve done more to stop the Leeds opener.
RB: Trevoh Chalobah—6.1: It’s clear he’s not comfortable playing as a right back. Improved once he drifted centrally but it was still a lacklustre showing.
CB: Tosin Adarabioyo—5.6: Obvious why he had played in just one of Chelsea’s last four games. A nightmare performance that will likely earn him a lengthy spell watching from the bench.
CB: Benoît Badiashile—5.8: Failed to inspire much confidence in the heart of defence and his night ended after the first half.
LB: Marc Cucurella—6.2: A quiet night for Cucurella who was solid defensively but failed to make his usual contributions when he crossed the halfway line.
DM: Andrey Santos—5.8: Tasked with replacing the suspended Moisés Caicedo, Leeds played through him with ease on multiple occasions. He struggled to balance a side that looked susceptible to counter attacks.
DM: Enzo Fernández—5.6: One of those performances where he was wasteful on the ball and a bystander without it. Spent more time arguing with the referee than helping out defensively.
RW: Estêvão—6.2: Never stopped trying to take on his man down the right wing but was rarely successful in his attempts. Frustration clearly got the better of him when he blatantly kicked an opponent resulting in his booking and getting hooked at the interval.
AM: João Pedro—6.7: Created Chelsea’s most dangerous chance of the first half but still looked rather unimaginative and hesitant. Miles off the level he showcased during the Club World Cup.
LW: Jamie Gittens—7.4: Unlike Estêvão, he rarely attempted to get away from his man to reach the byline in the first half. Came alive in the second half, though, and assisted Neto’s goal.
ST: Liam Delap—6.1: Clumsy on the ball all night, completing just three of his six attempted passes. He was deficient in front of goal as well, wasting two notable opportunities with poorly taken shots.
| Substitutes | Rating (Out of 10) |
|---|---|
| Malo Gusto (46’ for Badiashile) | 7.2 |
| Pedro Neto (46’ for Estêvão) | 7.6 |
| Alejandro Garnacho (61’ for Gittens) | 6.7 |
| Cole Palmer (61’ for Delap) | 6.0 |
| Marc Guiu (77’ for Santos) | 6.0 |
Subs not used: Filip Jörgensen (GK), Jorrel Hato, Josh Acheampong, Reece James.
Leeds (3-5-2)
Starting XI: Lucas Perri; Jaka Bijol, Joe Rodon, Pascal Struijk; Jayden Bogle, Ao Tanaka, Ethan Ampadu, Anton Stach, Gabriel Gudmundsson; Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Lukas Nmecha.
Subs used: Ilia Gruev, Noah Okafor, Joel Piroe, James Justin, Sebastiaan Bornauw.
Chelsea Player of the Match: Pedro Neto
Player of the Match: Jaka Bijol (Leeds United)
Leeds 3–1 Chelsea—How It Unfolded at Elland Road
Chelsea were stunned inside the opening 10 minutes. A positive start from the host was reflected on the scoresheet when Anton Stach whipped in a corner that was met in the air by a charging Jaka Bijol in the near post. Robert Sánchez got a hand to the ball but the powerful header found its way into the back of the net to give Leeds an early lead.
The hosts were comfortable sitting in a low block after getting the advantage. Chelsea dominated possession but struggled for ideas once they reached the final third, failing to make an impact on Lucas Perri’s goal.
Liam Delap had the best chance the Blues produced in the first half. But, with a defender wrapped around him, he couldn’t put any power behind an awkward shot in what was Chelsea’s only attempt on target of the opening 45 minutes.
To make matters worse for the visitors, a poor attempt to play out of the back resulted in a costly turnover. Ao Tanaka received the ball just outside the penalty area with time and space to fire a shot out of Sánchez’s reach to double the host’s lead just before the break.
After a couple of scares out of the tunnel, Chelsea finally found some life when Jamie Gittens got away from his man and sent in a cross towards the back post. Pedro Neto got to the ball, controlled it with his right and in the same movement volleyed it with his left from short range to get Chelsea within one with 40 minutes left to play.
Instant impact.#CFC | #LEECHE pic.twitter.com/yt50X3ag1O
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) December 3, 2025
Cole Palmer entered the game to play his first minutes since late September. Quickly after coming on he had a chance to make an instant impact, but he dragged his shot just wide of goal after a good run from Alejandro Garnacho.
When Chelsea appeared to be nearing an equalizer, an inexcusable mistake from Tosin Adarabioyo playing out of the back saw him gift the ball out of nowhere. Although Sánchez tried to fight for the ball with Noah Okafor, the rebound fell to Dominic Calvert-Lewin to tap-in a third in the 72nd minute.
Maresca’s side completely collapsed after conceding again. Chelsea looked like a frustrated team incapable of coming up with anything resembling an answer to get back in the game.
Leeds were able to cruise to the finish line to collect three immense points and hand Chelsea a worrying defeat that suggests they still have much work to do.
Leeds vs. Chelsea Half Time Stats
| Statistic | Leeds | Chelsea |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 27% | 73% |
| Expected Goals (xG) | 0.60 | 0.51 |
| Total Shots | 10 | 7 |
| Shots on Target | 2 | 1 |
| Big Chances | 0 | 0 |
| Pass Accuracy | 71% | 89% |
| Fouls Committed | 5 | 6 |
| Corners | 4 | 1 |
Leeds vs. Chelsea Full Time Stats
| Statistic | Leeds | Chelsea |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 29% | 71% |
| Expected Goals (xG) | 2.82 | 1.11 |
| Total Shots | 17 | 14 |
| Shots on Target | 5 | 2 |
| Big Chances | 2 | 1 |
| Pass Accuracy | 71% | 89% |
| Fouls Committed | 10 | 13 |
| Corners | 4 | 2 |
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Chelsea Player Ratings vs. Leeds: Abysmal Blues Performance Hurts Title Challenge.
