• May 12, 2022
• Olaoluwa Nwobodo

Chelsea left Elland Road with very comfortable but well fought three points when they faced relegation-battling Leeds United. Chelsea cruised from the beginning of the match to the end, aided by playing with an extra man from the 24th minute. It was a complete performance, but some players were better than others. Here’s how we think the players fared.

Goalkeeper: Crucial clean sheet

Edouard Mendy was Mr. Safe Hands against Leeds as he didn’t try anything flashy. His distribution was very good, and he didn’t waste time with any pass. He didn’t face any shot so there was no save to make. Mendy would be going into the FA Cup final with confidence.

Defenders: Superb defensive display from the new additions

Trevoh Chalobah and Andreas Christensen returned to the lineup and Thiago Silva was rested. The centerbacks were responsible with their passing. They were slightly quicker in moving the ball and they did well to occasionally find runners with long balls. They still didn’t switch play enough times though. They were also excellent at breaking up Leeds United attacks and prevented the relegation-battlers from registering a shot on target.

Midfielders: Complete midfield display

Jorginho returned to the lineup alongside Mateo Kovacic. The central midfielders were nearly perfect. Their ball movement was very good, making the right passes at the right time. They also tried to find Romelu Lukaku directly with balls in behind and balls to his feet. Their pressing was top-notch, as well. They smothered Leeds in midfield and didn’t give them any breathing space. They also did well to win the ball back the few times Chelsea did lose the ball. Their dribbling was equally as good. Kovacic was taken off through injury in the first half not long after being on the receiving end of a literal red card tackle from Daniel James. Ruben Loftus-Cheek carried on from where Kovacic left off, only that he was better but took a bit too long in releasing the ball at some key points in the game.

Marcos Alonso was good but not nearly as good as Reece James. James won an impressive 10 out of 15 contested duels. He also completed five dribbles, more dribbles than anyone on the pitch. James was a menace down Chelsea’s right hand side and Leeds just could not deal with him.

Forwards: Lukaku is now inform

There was little communication from the forwards initially, but as they grew into the game it got much better. Romelu Lukaku was very good. He took six shots and eventually scored a shot that he made more difficult than it needed to be. He scored a few offside goals. Christian Pulisic took a while to get into the game but he did very well to finish a layoff from mason Mount to put the Blues two goals ahead. Mount handed Chelsea the lead in the fourth minute with a superb strike from outside the box. This puts Mount in double digits in both goals and assists for Chelsea in the Premier League this season. This also makes Mount the youngest Chelsea player to achieve double digits in goals and assists in a league season in the history of the club. Whatever you think of him, you cannot deny he has been very productive for Chelsea this season.

Substitutes and manager

Loftus-Cheek came on for Kovacic in the 30th minute in a forced substitution and he generally played well. He drove the ball forward expertly, making sure that he was a passing option for his teammates that were in tight spaces. Hakim Ziyech had the biggest impact among the substitutes despite only making eight passes in the 15 minutes he was on the pitch. He was a constant goal threat, running into space in Chelsea’s attack and being on the receiving end of some promising forward passes. He converted one of said passes to an assist for Lukaku, laying it on a plate for the Belgian. Lukaku nearly did not score that goal though, as he didn’t take the shot first time, and had to hold the ball up for several more touches before finding another opening to shoot and score. Cesar Azpilicueta did nothing of note. Tuchel was superb on the sideline. His team selection was spot on, as well as his substitutions. He had his wits about him, something that would come in handy on Saturday in the FA Cup final.

Ratings
Mendy: 7
Chalobah: 8
Christensen: 7.5
Rudiger: 7.5
James: 8.5
Jorginho: 8
Kovacic: 5.5
Alonso: 7
Mount: 9.5
Pulisic: 7.5
Lukaku: 8
Loftus-Cheek(30′): 7
Ziyech(78′): 7.5
Azpilicueta: 6

Tuchel: 9