In a gripping five-goal spectacle, Mauricio Pochettino’s team weathered a rough start only to finish with a flourish, ensuring their pursuit of silverware remains alive.
Chelsea secured a thrilling 3-2 victory over Leeds at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night, with Conor Gallagher delivering a decisive late winner. This hard-fought triumph sets the stage for a compelling home quarter-final clash against Leicester in the FA Cup.
| Robert Sanchez | 5/10 | Put under pressure with a short pass before the first goal. |
| Malo Gusto | 5/10 | Gave possession away too much and didn’t stand up to block the cross for Leeds’ equaliser. Understandably subbed right afterwards. |
| Axel Disasi | 4/10 | Terrible pass to give away the opener and just let attackers run at him without making much of an attempt to stop them. |
| Trevoh Chalobah | 6/10 | Put up no challenge to block Joseph at the back post for Leeds’ second goal but his passing was sound and he made a few important interventions. |
| Alfie Gilchrist | 6/10 | Chelsea weren’t as active down his side initially but he moved to the right for the final 30 minutes and stepped up well. |
| Moises Caicedo | 7/10 | Fought hard to win the ball throughout and set up the equaliser to compensate for a rough start. |
| Enzo Fernandez | 7/10 | Did well to cut out Leeds’ attacks and spark Chelsea moves with some good passes, resulting in the winning goal. |
| Mykhailo Mudryk | 7/10 | Was well placed to receive the ball and slam in the 2-1 goal and was tricky for Leeds to handle with his quick and unpredictable movement. |
While Chelsea seemed poised to seize command of the match, it was Leeds who emerged strongest after halftime, surging ahead just before the hour mark with yet another goal from Joseph.
In a strategic move, Mauricio Pochettino made key substitutions, introducing Gallagher, Ben Chilwell, and Cole Palmer into the fray. It was Gallagher, however, who seized the moment of victory in the 90th minute with a flawless touch and turn, capitalizing on an Enzo Fernandez pass before slotting the ball into the net.
Following the thrilling encounter at Stamford Bridge, let’s assess Chelsea’s players with GOAL’s ratings.
| Noni Madueke | 5/10 | Tried to be a direct threat with his dribbles and shots but nothing went his way. |
| Nicolas Jackson | 6/10 | Applied a fine finish to equalise but struggled to get involved for long spells. |
| Raheem Sterling | 6/10 | A perfect cut-back to Mudryk to put Chelsea ahead and offered a lot of support, though he was not much of a direct threat. |
| Ben Chilwell | 5/10 | Brought on to offer more depth on the left side but was not a huge improvement. |
| Conor Gallagher | 7/10 | His passes were neat and he did a fantastic job with the ball to provide the winning goal. |
| Levi Colwill | 5/10 | Slotted in at the centre of defence after replacing Gilchrist. |
| Cole Palmer | 6/10 | Immediately tried to offer a spark to a Blues attack that had gone flat in the second half. |
| Jimi Tauriainen | N/A | Only on for the dying seconds. |
| Mauricio Pochettino | 6/10 | His team lost an early lead and then sort of lost their hold on the match despite being at home to lower-league opposition. He made some big changes later in the game and they paid off when Gallagher got the winner. |