Mason Mount and Reece James impressed as Chelsea returned to winning ways, beating ten-man Leeds United 3-0 at Elland Road on Wednesday night.
Chelsea were off the mark just four minutes into the game as Mason Mount curled home a brilliant finish from inside the Leeds United box after being found by Reece James. The Blues continued to dominate their hosts in the early parts, with Mount creating a chance for Romelu Lukaku and having a shot blocked by Diego Llorente.
Leeds, eventually, started to get into their rhythm but were hit hard when Daniel James was shown a red card for a horrific tackle on Mateo Kovacic, which left the Chelsea midfielder injured. The Welsh international’s sending off meant that the Whites were left with an uphill task as Chelsea started to make their numerical advantage count.
Lukaku put the ball into the back of the net with a lob, but it was chalked off for offside, while another effort flew just wide off the mark as Leeds managed to keep the scoreline at 1-0 at half-time. Ten minutes into the second period, though, the Blues found the second goal, with Christian Pulisic finding the target after being found cleverly by Mount.
Chelsea upped the ante in search of a third goal, with Pulisic coming close to scoring his second, while Lukaku continued to pepper the Leeds goal until he finally found the back of the net with a composed finish in the 83rd minute. The result ensures that the Blues keep their noses ahead of Arsenal in third place, while Leeds are now staring down at the barrel in their battle for survival.
Here are our player ratings for both sets of players after the one-sided affair at Elland Road.
Leeds United Player Ratings
Illan Meslier: 3/10
While he did not commit any major errors as he did in the game against Arsenal, Meslier did not inspire confidence in goal either. He did not make an attempt to save any of the Chelsea goals on the night.
Robin Koch: 4/10
The German struggled to hold the fort down on the right side of the Leeds United defence, as Marcos Alonso enjoyed plenty of joy getting forward on the night.
Diego Llorente: 4/10
The better of the Leeds United defenders on Wednesday, although that would not be saying much. Llorente made a crucial block to deny Mount his second goal in the first period. However, he made a mistake leading to Lukaku’s goal late on.
"Sunday is massively important and that's what we have to be thinking about"
Jesse Marsch gives his thoughts on a difficult evening for Leeds United and what the defeat to Chelsea will mean for the remaining games of the season ? pic.twitter.com/5ILLOVmg1x
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 11, 2022
Liam Cooper: 4/10
Back to fitness and into the starting XI, the Leeds United skipper could not cope with Lukaku for most of the game and was part of a backline that collectively failed under pressure.
Pascal Struijk: 3/10
Playing out of position on the left side, Struijk never had a chance against Reece James and Mason Mount, who gave him endless problems. The Dutchman was guilty of not getting tight enough to James in the lead-up to the opening goal.
Lewis Bate: 4/10
Coming up against his former team, the young midfielder at times looked overawed and could not get a foothold in the game. While there was no shortage of effort from Bate, at times the game just seemed to pass him by.
Kalvin Phillips: 4/10
? ?????? ????????: "The pressure is on. All we can do now, is look forward to the Brighton game." pic.twitter.com/R9gTUf8lPa
— Leeds United (@LUFC) May 11, 2022
The England international has not quite been at his best since returning from injury, and it showed on Wednesday. He could not get any semblance of control in midfield and seemed to get frustrated as time passed, scything down Pulisic dangerously to earn a booking. He did not show the effort to stay close with the USMNT star leading to the second goal.
Raphinha: 4/10
The main man for Leeds going forward, Raphinha could never really get into the game on the night, especially once his team were down by a man. There were one or two decent counterattacking opportunities but made the wrong decisions.
Rodrigo: 3/10
Another ineffective display from the Spaniard, as question marks continue to raise over what he offers to the table for Leeds. Rodrigo’s body language was lacking, and his passing was all over the place while he also gave away the ball leading to a chance for Pulisic.
Jack Harrison: 3/10
The former Manchester City winger was hardly involved before he had to be taken off injured in the first period.
Daniel James: 1/10
100 – Dan James' red, followed by Kalvin Phillips' yellow means Leeds this season are the first team to receive 100 cards in a single Premier League campaign (97 yellows, 3 reds). Feisty. pic.twitter.com/UMCjeANE8h
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 11, 2022
Absolutely shocking challenge on Kovacic which deservedly earned him a red card. He did not need to go into that challenge, especially after having seen what happened with Luke Ayling against Arsenal last time out. Let his team down.
SUBSTITUTES
Junior Firpo: 4/10
Firpo replaced Harrison in the 37th minute. Worked hard but had little impact.
Mateusz Klich: 4/10
Klich was sent on in place of Bate for the final thirty minutes. He did not spark any change.
Joe Gelhardt: N/A
The youngster came on for Raphinha in the 78th minute.
Chelsea Player Ratings
Edouard Mendy: 6/10
A spectator for most parts as Leeds United hardly presented an attacking threat on the night at Elland Road.
Trevoh Chalobah: 7/10
Chelsea’s Premier League record when Trevoh Chalobah has started this season…
13 wins
3 draws
0 losses pic.twitter.com/oiBF3FMLUn— LDN (@LDNFootbalI) May 11, 2022
Drafted into the starting XI, the Chelsea academy graduate put on a solid display against Leeds United. Chalobah was at hand to cut down any threat that came on his side, making several challenges, while he was not afraid to push up into midfield when in possession.
Andreas Christensen: 6.5/10
Filling in for the rested Thiago Silva, the Dane was largely untroubled by a mediocre Leeds United side and was alert to whatever minimal danger he had to deal with.
Antonio Rudiger: 6.5/10
A steady display from the Real Madrid-bound defender, who had one or two iffy moments at the start but ensured that there were no major mistakes and helped secure the clean sheet.
Reece James: 8/10
Reece James’ game by numbers vs Leeds (78m):
115 touches
100% tackles won
95% pass accuracy
79 passes completed
10 ground duels won (most)
6 ball recoveries
5 chances created (most)
5 attempted take-ons
5 successful take-ons (most)
3 fouls drawn (most)
1 assistIncredible. ? pic.twitter.com/akAh9NmIBv
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) May 11, 2022
Another impactful display from the England international, who was a constant menace down the right-hand side. James did well to set Mason Mount for the opener with a composed pass and delivered several dangerous crosses into the box while being unflappable in defence. He was taken off by the manager to protect him for the FA Cup final.
Mateo Kovacic: N/A
The Croatian midfielder lasted on the pitch for less than 30 minutes as Daniel James’ horror tackle forced him off with an injury.
Jorginho: 7/10
Back to full fitness and starting at Elland Road, Jorginho was in control against Leeds United. The Italian international made numerous ball recoveries and played smart passes forward to ensure that his team stayed on top throughout.
Marcos Alonso: 6/10
A solid display from the Spaniard, who made some important contributions defensively and also sent in a few teasing balls into the box from the left side.
Mason Mount: 8/10
⭐️ Man of the Match, @ChelseaFC’s Mason Mount
84 touches, 8 in opposition box
2 chances created
5 shots, 2 on target
A goal & an assist
5th Chelsea player to reach 10+ both goals & assists in a PL season, after Lampard (x4), Drogba (x3), Mata & Hazard pic.twitter.com/jUxKaKlrhL— Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) May 11, 2022
Another match-winning display from the Chelsea academy graduate, who got the ball rolling for his team with a wonderfully struck goal just four minutes into the game before setting Pulisic up for the second one after the half-time break. He always looked like a threat each time he got on the ball, and Tuchel will hope that he carries on in the same vein on the weekend.
Christian Pulisic: 7/10
After a fairly impressive game against Wolves, Pulisic had another good performance on Wednesday. While he endured a largely quiet first period, the USMNT star produced a neat finish to make it 2-0 in the second half and came close to adding another goal minutes later.
Romelu Lukaku: 8/10
The big Belgian seems to have his confidence back as he was a nuisance to the Leeds defence with his hold-up play and movement. Lukaku had the ball into the back of the net with a delightful lob in the first half but saw it chalked off for offside. He had a couple of chances which he could not capitalise on before eventually breaching the net to make it 3-0.
Romelu Lukaku has scored 15+ goals in all competitions for the 10th successive season.
3 in his last 2. ?⚽️ pic.twitter.com/4rNHZBVbml
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) May 11, 2022
SUBSTITUTES
Ruben Loftus-Cheek: 6/10
Loftus-Cheek came on for the injured Kovacic in the first half. Added energy and physicality in midfield for Leeds.
Hakim Ziyech: N/A
On for Pulisic with a little over ten minutes left. He got the assist for Lukaku’s goal.
Cesar Azpilicueta: N/A
Replaced James late on.
