Chelsea took a huge step towards officially sealing a top-four spot and left 10-man Leeds deeper in the relegation mire with a comfortable 3-0 win at Elland Road.
Mason Mount’s early strike and second-half goals from Christian Pulisic and Romelu Lukaku halted Chelsea’s three-game winless run and lifted them four points clear of London rivals Arsenal in third place.
It was a timely win for Thomas Tuchel’s side, who had dropped 10 points in their previous five matches, before Saturday’s FA Cup final against Liverpool.
For Leeds, it was another night to forget. They slumped to a third straight defeat to remain in the bottom three and had a man sent off for the second time in successive matches.
Jesse Marsch’s side played for 66 minutes with 10 men after Dan James’ straight red card for his ill-judged lunge on Mateo Kovacic.
James’ dismissal followed a similar rush of blood by team-mate Luke Ayling in Sunday’s defeat at Arsenal and Leeds subsequently never threatened to add to their points tally.
