Chelsea 3-1 Leeds: Premier League – as it happened | Soccer

Peep peep! Chelsea lead the league with a formidable victory at Stamford Bridge. They ignored the shock of Patrick Bamford’s initial goal and created a flood of chances throughout. Olivier Giroud equalized, Kurt Zouma led them in the second half and substitute Christian Pulisic completed the victory in added time. Leeds were good in the first half but tired in the second, although they probably should have had a 2-1 penalty. Chelsea were definitely the better team, however, and could have won more.

It was a great goal. Kovacic slid the ball inside Dallas to free Pacy Werner on the right. He charged into the zone and slid a low cross towards Pulisic, who guided the ball past Meslier on the run.

88 mins The injured Thiago Silva wins a brilliant defensive header, passing over Bamford to erase Ayling’s center. He can’t run, but he can still jump.

88 mins Thiago Silva is unable to run properly, but he will stay there. I’m surprised Chelsea didn’t put another player back in the center of their defense.

87 min Dallas slips and gives the ball to Werner, who runs straight to the heart of the defense and slides on Abraham. He cracks a first cross shot which whistles a few meters from the far post.

85 mins Thiago Silva is in treatment. Chelsea used all three subs, so he’s going to stay. He’s holding his right tendon, spirit.

84 min Leeds almost stole an equalizer. Klich steers a sharp pass into Rodrigo on the left side of the area. He cuts the ball towards Bamford, who messes up the first time and pushes it wide.

83 min Leeds looked quite tired. At this point, a third Chelsea goal seems much more likely than an equalizer.

80 mins Just before this shot in the 78th minute, Poveda-Ocampo was fouled in the area by Chilwell. He remained standing; if he had descended, VAR would have imposed a penalty. It was almost identical to the Robertson / Welbeck incident in Brighton a week ago. The difference is that Poveda-Ocampo remained standing and was punished. What a mess.

79 min Olivier Giroud, who had a mixed evening, is replaced by Tammy Abraham. He marked one; he could have had another hat trick.

78 min Poveda-Ocampo’s 20-yard shot is comfortably saved by Mendy.

77 mins Mount’s corner is led seven yards away by the unmarked Giroud. It was yet another good chance for Chelsea.

76 min: Nice backup of Meslier! Chelsea should be 3-1 ahead. Mount, on the left wing, makes a magnificent pass around the defense to find Werner at the far post, eight meters away. He takes the hit the first time around but Meslier spreads and deflects him behind.

73 mins Bamford was injured while winning the ball to Kante. I think it’s a cramp. Otherwise, Leeds will be reduced to 10 men because they used all three submarines.

72 min Rodrigo plays a smart short pass through Zouma’s legs which almost reaches Bamford in the area. Almost but not quite.

72 min For reasons that are not entirely clear, Chelsea fans emit high-pitched moans every time Diego Llorente touches the ball.

71 min Mount’s awkward long-range shot is well held by Meslier.

68 min: Right next to Giroud! Mount and Pulisic combined to find Chilwell on the left. His low cross ricocheted off at least two players, possibly more, before being led past the near post by Giroud.

66 min Chelsea make their second change: Mateo Kovacic replaces subdued Kai Havertz.

65 min Chelsea were very good in the second half and deserve to be ahead.

63 mins On second thought, I think Cooper may have been fouled by Giroud just before Zouma’s goal. Giroud didn’t know as he looked at the ball, but he seemed to meet Cooper and knock him off balance. I would like to see him again. Anyway, I don’t think this counts as a clear and obvious mistake.

Chelsea take the lead from the corner! It was simple: Mount’s outswinger, Zouma’s accomplished head down. Leeds appealed for a foul against Cooper, but there was nothing in it. The goal remains!

60 min: Brilliant goalkeeper from Meslier! Werner, passed by Giroud, was refused twice in the space of two seconds by Meslier. The first save was particularly good as he had to change direction and dive to his left when the ball deflected Alioski. After the second save, the ball bounced off Mount, whose point-blank shot deflected away from Cooper. It was a great block.

57 mins The indefatigable Klich – what a film it was by the way – wins a corner for Leeds. Phillips leads him flat to the edge of the box, where Raphinha arrives late to give a volley towards the goal. Thiago Silva blocks him in the penalty area but the ball bounces on Raphinha, who lifts it above the bar! It was luck and a nice set piece from Leeds.

56 mins Chelsea have been the best team since half-time. Thiago Silva comes forward and throws a pass over the defense towards Pulisic. Dallas brings him back to Meslier, who was on his way to Pulisic but has enough time to come back and catch the ball.

54 min James cleverly clips him to the nearest post, where Havertz heads three yards away. It was a trickier chance than it looked because of the height and pace of the ball.

53 min The corner is half clear on the left wing, where Chilwell is initiated into the air by Alioski. Chelsea have a well-placed free kick to the left.

53 min It’s much better from Havertz, a sleek and straightforward run into the area that leads to a right turn for Chelsea.

51 min A good first pass in defense of Thiago Silva puts Chelsea on the attack. Eventually, Pulisic cuts in and hits a shot that has the sting removed by Llorente.

49 min Meslier stands on the ball in his own six-yard box, which almost leads to a comedy against his goal / tap-in for Giroud. In the end, he has enough time, roughly, to throw the ball.

46 min Havertz receives a warning after a late tackle on Alioski. He looks a little lost at the moment.

A note on what Timo Werner misses earlier – reruns show Illan Meslier returned his shot on the bar. This would explain how Werner managed to locate the underside of the crossbar from 0.001 meters.

Peep peep! Chelsea should be in the lead, but Leeds contributed a lot to a very enjoyable 45 minutes. Patrick Bamford gave Leeds a start, scoring against his former club after a delicious assist from Kalvin Phillips. Olivier Giroud was belied by a bizarre goal play from teammate Timo Werner (with friends like you who need friends) but later equalized in the half thanks to the excellent cross from Reece James.

45 + 2 min Substitute Llorente delivers a vital slid tackle on Chilwell, who looked set to move on goal through the inner left channel.

45 + 1 min It’s not just the Kalvin Phillips lineup that is so impressive; his selection of passes is extremely good.

43 min “Earlier in the season, I emailed you to explain how Bamford was one of those players who were too good for the league but ultimately not good enough for the Premier League,” said Matt Dony. “I respectfully request the opportunity to rescind this opinion. He looks good. He hasn’t just scored a lot of goals so far; he scored some very, very good goals. There is definitely a player in there.

I am intrigued by players who improve when they level up, either to a higher division or to a club with better players. Dwight Yorke is the obvious example.

42 min Werner, who is currently playing on the field, charges Alioski into the area and hits a cross shot which is kicked by Cooper at the near post. The corner is led by Chilwell and courageously claimed by Meslier in front of a flying Chelsea boot.

40 mins Havertz, who is having a bad game, runs into trouble near the halfway line and is dispossessed by Harrison. He directs a pass to Bamford, who lines up a shot when Zouma appears to be making a big tackle. Moments later, Mendy came out of his goal to claim a cross on the second attempt.

38 mins Pulisic swings his hips that way and that to earn a corner for Chelsea. Mount will take it …

34 min Ayling wins a corner for Leeds, who give as well as they can. It has been such an entertaining game so far.

32 min “This end-to-end style of play is perfectly suited to Pulisic’s skills,” says Mary Waltz.

31 min Llorente plays a bad pass, directly to the other substitute Pulisic on the edge of the box. He’s not quite aware, however, and he hesitates long enough for Cooper to remove the danger.