March 14, Elland Road
Chelsea remains undefeated under the Thomas Tuchel era as they drew 0-0 against Leeds United at Elland Road.
It was another goalless game for the London club when they faced a more formidable opponent in Leeds. The home side hasn’t beaten Chelsea since 2003 and was eager to change the history.
Thomas Tuchel was frustrated to see his side not win against an opponent who is currently facing a drought of form and performances in the premier league.
The pundits believed that Chelsea could easily beat the home side and climb up the table to 3rd position.
The Struggle Continues For Chelsea
Even though the Blues from London have been on an undefeated run of games, their scoring has considerably gotten low compared to the previous seasons.
Over the last couple of games, they have only scored five goals in total.
Although the defense is rock solid, the attackers have had a misfortune for scoring as they miss shots that an in-form attacker would quickly achieve.
Bringing in young guns like Christian Pulisic, Kai Havertz, and Timo Werner was supposed to bring in more goals for the team, but their performance has been low from their previous standards.
In today’s game, we could hardly see Pulisic and his actual performance as he continues to struggle from lack of form.
There has been a resemblance of the previous Kai Havertz as his performance is slowly improving, but the lack of goals still haunts the Blues’ result.
Against Leeds, the away side was dominating, but they couldn’t capitalize the form they had.
Leeds: Can They Improve On Their Performance?
Marcelo Bielsa has certainly improved Leeds United if you look at their previous situations. Although Chelsea dominated them, they had a bit of bad luck by their side.
Patrick Bamford, an ex-Chelsea player, had the chance to put the home side a goal in front, but alas, the goal was ruled as an Offside.
The home side continued to press and counter when they had the opportunity. Tyler Roberts decided to take a shot right outside the penalty box but was denied by an excellent save from the Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.
The home side looked better in the second half as they had chance after chance but couldn’t actually finish.
Goalkeepers To The Rescue: Mendy and Meslier Shine
There was no doubt about how good both teams’ goalkeepers were. Both goalkeepers were put to the test right from the start. Chelsea’s Mendy outshined his counterpart.
Tyler Robert shot right to the top of Mendy’s goal because of his athletic body and height. The keeper was able to tip the ball and made sure it hit the crossbar instead of going to the back of the net.
Mendy’s performances made sure that he would keep another clean sheet.
Meslier kept his first clean sheet in over 3 games. Mendy, in contrast, has kept a total of 5 clean sheets in his last five games. Both the keepers were crucial to their side as they fight for their respective positions in the league table.
Patrick Bamford: What Now?
The ex-Chelsea man is the current top goal scorer for Leeds United and was in a great run of form. He had the chance to take the lead for his team in the 7th minute but was judged offside by the slightest of margins.
Even though he was offside, he didn’t quit and became even hungrier for a goal against his former employers. There were chances after chances, but he was deemed offside even more due to his lack of timing.
Even though Patrick was a part of Chelsea F.C, he actually never got the chance to play for their first team as he was often sent on loan.
He wanted to let his former team know what they were missing, but he landed awkwardly after colliding with Antonio Rudiger. The home team was concerned if he was seriously injured, but the English forward tried to run it off.
On the 35th minute, Alas became sure that he couldn’t continue and was substituted off with Spanish forward Rodrygo replacing him. It was a heartbreak not just for the striker but for Marcelo Bielsa as well.
Bamford’s recent goal-scoring form has put him up for the contention of an England national team callup for the first time in his career.
The 27-year-old forward is currently fighting the likes of Harry Kane, Tammy Abraham, and Danny Ings to be chosen for the games against San Marino, Poland, and Albania in the upcoming month.
The Race For Top 4 Is Wide Open
With Chelsea dropping another point to Leeds, the race to the top 4 is wide open, with teams like West Ham and Everton are right there waiting to pounce on the Blues.
The Hammers currently have a 2 game advantage over the Blues while Everton is just 5 points behind in 6th place.
It will be interesting to see what the Premier League’s table will look like come to the end of the season as the teams are fighting for European League places.
What Now For The Teams?
Chelsea now looks forward to their 2nd Leg in the Round of 16 of the Champions League as they host Atletico Madrid at the Stamford Bridge on the 17th of March, 2021.
The Blues are currently leading with a score of 1-0, and they look to defend and win past the current La Liga leaders.
Leeds United is not in any domestic or international cup competitions, so they focus on improving their standings in the league table. They travel to Cotan Cottage to face the under-relegation battle side Fulham.
