Jorginho scored two nerveless penalties in the second half to help Chelsea to a thrilling 3-2 win over Leeds United at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League.
Coming into the game after failing to win in their last two, Chelsea once again looked below their best level as Leeds United posed a threat at Stamford Bridge in the early exchanges. Raphinha tested Edouard Mendy with a clever free-kick before putting the Whites in front from the penalty spot in the 28th minute after Marcos Alonso had fouled Daniel James.
Chelsea, though, struck back close to half-time with Alonso making up for his earlier mistake by finding Mason Mount in the Leeds box, who drove the ball past Illan Meslier to reinstate parity. A little over ten minutes into the second half, Raphinha went from hero to villain as a reckless challenge on Antonio Rudiger gifted the Blues a penalty, and Jorginho obliged to put the hosts in front.
Leeds continued to fight and carved out a couple of half-chances before youngster Joe Gelhardt made it 2-2 almost immediately after he came on as a substitute to send the away fans in euphoria. And just when it seemed like the Whites would hold on for a point, Mateusz Klich gave away a penalty with a senseless challenge on Rudiger in stoppage time, with Jorginho, nervelessly, doing the needful again.
Despite the win, Chelsea stayed third in the Premier League table as both Manchester City and Liverpool picked up victories in their encounters against Wolves and Aston Villa, respectively, which also involved questionable penalty calls. Leeds sit in 15th place on the table, six points clear of the relegation zone. Here are our player ratings for both sets of players.
Chelsea Player Ratings
Edouard Mendy: 6/10
The Senegalese shot-stopper made a good save to deny Raphinha early on from a free-kick. However, he failed to stop the Brazilian from the penalty spot while he had no chance to keep Gelhardt’s equaliser out either. Mendy also made a couple of half-decent saves in the second half.
Cesar Azpilicueta: 6/10
The Chelsea captain got the nod ahead of Andreas Christensen on Saturday, and he did well for the most part, especially in the first half, when he made some strong challenges. Lack of pace was exposed after the break, and he had some troubles coping with Raphinha, leading to his substitution.
Thiago Silva: 7/10
The veteran centre-back was as solid as ever, dealing with the lively Daniel James with intelligent positioning and reading of the game. Silva played the ball out well and even made a late driving run forward, only to fire an effort wide. However, he was caught out by Gelhardt for the second Leeds goal, which cuts into his rating a bit.
Antonio Rudiger: 7/10
Rudiger's impact on Chelsea is absolutely huge. In what wasn't actually one of his best performances of the season, he won two penalties and saved his club. His reaction on the full-time whistle shows what it means. #CFC https://t.co/SGMx4HkNMO
— Nizaar Kinsella (@NizaarKinsella) December 11, 2021
The German international was his usual aggressive self on Saturday as he pressed high up the pitch, carried the ball upfield and even took aim at goal if presented with a chance. Rudiger won both the penalties in the second period, which allowed Chelsea to complete a turnaround and bag all three points.
Reece James: 6.5/10
James had a couple of positive moments in attack when he produced a nice cutback leading to a chance and tested Meslier with a cheeky free-kick. The right wing-back drifted in centrally quite regularly to help out his team in the middle of the park, although his influence waned with time. He was booked for a rash lunge on Daniel James in the first period.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek: 6/10
Getting the nod again in the absence of N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic, Loftus-Cheek did not have the best of games on Saturday. The Englishman was guilty of misplacing a few straightforward passes while he did not have that incision to carve open the visitors’ backline. However, he did make some decent forward runs after the break and was very reliable with his defensive work.
Jorginho: 8/10
Jorginho scores a 94th minute winner for Chelsea with an ??? ???? penalty ? pic.twitter.com/A45UmvJkrs
— GOAL (@goal) December 11, 2021
Starting the game despite not being 100% fit, the Italian midfielder kept things ticking along nicely for Chelsea with some neat passes forward while he also fashioned a chance for Kai Havertz late in the first half. Stepped up and dispatched two great penalties at crucial junctures of the game to secure the win for Chelsea.
Marcos Alonso: 6/10
The left wing-back gave away the penalty to Leeds in the first half with a clumsy challenge on Dan James. However, the Spaniard made amends not long after as he won the ball off of Stuart Dallas and then set Mount up for the equaliser. Alonso did not have much of an impact after the half-time break.
Mason Mount: 7/10
The Chelsea academy graduate was quiet in the early exchanges but grew with time. He fired a rather tame effort at goal before finding the back of the net to make it 1-1 close to half-time. In the second half, Mount did not contribute much attacking-wise but worked his socks off to help the team out defensively.
Mason Mount's game by numbers vs. Leeds:
100% shot accuracy
89% pass accuracy
47 touches
5 crosses
4 touches in opp. box
4 duels won
2 shots on target
2 tackles
1 goalHe has now been directly involved in 10 Premier League goals this season. ? pic.twitter.com/GLVlTUYl8z
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) December 11, 2021
Timo Werner: 5/10
After his stunning display in midweek, Werner could not build on it against Leeds as he cut a quiet, frustrated figure for most of the game on Saturday. The German lacked quality service on the afternoon and hardly did anything of note before being taken off.
Kai Havertz: 5/10
Preferred over Romelu Lukaku in the No. 9 role, the ex-Bayer Leverkusen prodigy had a forgettable outing. Havertz’s hold-up play and passing weren’t up to the mark, while he also failed to take a couple of half-decent chances in the first half.
SUBSTITUTES
Callum Hudson-Odoi: 5/10
The Englishman replaced Werner in the 74th minute but did not make much of an impact.
Andreas Christensen: 5/10
He was brought on for Azpilicueta in the 74th minute to see out the game.
Romelu Lukaku: N/A
Late substitute for Alonso.
Leeds United Player Ratings
Illan Meslier: 6/10
The Frenchman made a couple of important saves in the first half to keep Leeds in the game. But, he stood no chance against Jorginho’s precise penalties in the second half.
Stuart Dallas: 6/10
The versatile Leeds star held his own for most of the game against Werner, keeping the German quiet. However, he got caught on the ball leading to the Blues’ equaliser in the first half. He made a few decent forward forays after the break.
Luke Ayling: 7/10
The Leeds United captain on the day, Ayling, held things tight at the back for much of the contest and ensured that Kai Havertz never really threatened the goal a great deal. He was unable to pose much of a threat from set-pieces in the opposition box, though.
Diego Llorente: 6/10
Like Ayling, Llorente defended well for the most part, but his passing from the back at times brought on pressure on the team while he could have done a better job of tracking Mount for the first-half equaliser.
Junior Firpo: 6/10
A mixed-bag from the former Barcelona star who had some positive moments going forward, especially in the second period. Defensively, he did remain solid, but there were a few lapses here and there. He was booked in the first period and was always at risk of a second yellow due to his aggression.
Adam Forshaw: 6.5/10
The experienced midfielder had some problems early on but grew into the game with time. Forshaw was tenacious and aggressive in the middle of the park, harrying the Chelsea players, going into challenges, as he helped screen the defence. He kept it nice and simple when on the ball.
Raphinha: 6/10
Chelsea have conceded 7 goals in the last 7 days; 3 vs. West Ham, 3 vs. Zenit & 1 vs. Leeds United.
Raphinha with the latest. ??? pic.twitter.com/hnC9FkEMfY
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) December 11, 2021
A lively presence going forward, Raphinha was Leeds’ chief attacking threat and tested Mendy with a free-kick before scoring from the penalty spot. However, he was also guilty of conceding possession cheaply at times, while a silly challenge on Rudiger in the second half proved costly as it allowed Chelsea to take the lead.
Jamie Shackleton: 5.5/10
Worked hard, often moving out to the right flank to help tame Chelsea’s threat down that side. Pressed his opponents well but failed to make much of an impact and was taken off in the second half after being booked.
Tyler Roberts: 7/10
One of Leeds’ better players on the pitch, Roberts worked hard from the top, harrying the opposition while he did some nice work when in possession, holding it up well to bring his teammates into play. Roberts then set Gelhardt up for the equalising goal in the second period with a lovely pass.
Jack Harrison: 5/10
A quiet outing for the former Manchester City ace. Harrison put in the hard yards off the ball but never really got going in attack and failed to make any notable contributions in the final third.
Daniel James: 5.5/10
He was full of speed and energy at the top, although it did not amount to much as he did not always have the service to capitalise. But James did well to win the penalty in the first period. However, he did not do much of note for the rest of the contest.
SUBSTITUTES
Mateusz Klich: 5/10
Replaced Shackleton at the hour mark and had a hand in the move leading to Leeds’ second. He then gave away the penalty for a silly foul on Rudiger, allowing Jorginho to win it for Chelsea.
Joe Gelhardt: N/A
Leeds are just the second opposition side to score 2+ goals at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League since Thomas Tuchel took over:
West Brom: ⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️
Leeds: ⚽️⚽️Joe Gelhardt with his first Premier League goal. pic.twitter.com/GCOYOe5gna
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) December 11, 2021
A great moment for the youngster as he scored with his first touch after replacing Raphinha to level things up.
Charlie Cresswell: N/A
Late substitute for James as Bielsa hoped to see the game out.
