Jorginho’s injury-time penalty gives Chelsea dramatic victory over Leeds - Guardian 11/12/21
Jacob Steinberg at Stamford Bridge
Chelsea have forgotten how to defend, but they still know
how to fight. Their title challenge was in danger of unravelling when Joe
Gelhardt equalised for Leeds United with seven minutes left and while Thomas
Tuchel will be concerned about another careless performance, he can take
satisfaction from the defiance his team produced when it seemed that another
win had slipped from their grasp.
This victory owed more to character than quality. Unlike
Marcelo Bielsa’s bold but naive side, Chelsea had a streetwise edge. The
European champions kept going and their reward arrived when Antonio Rüdiger, a
dynamic presence who is never far away from controversy, tumbled in the area
when the Leeds substitute, Mateusz Klich, tried to take the ball away from the
Chelsea centre-back in added time.
There was no need for Klich to be so rash. Rüdiger, who had
already won one penalty, had his back to goal when the Leeds defender kicked
through him and although there was a brief delay as VAR checked Chris
Kavanagh’s decision to point to the spot, there would be no reprieve for
Bielsa’s side and Jorginho stepped up to seal a lucky win by tucking away his
second penalty of the afternoon.
“He did not accept to lose,” Tuchel said of Rüdiger, who was
later involved in a mass brawl after the final whistle. For Leeds, who lie
15th, there was merely a sense of burning injustice. They had contributed so
much, although there were times when both sides allowed emotion to get the
better of them. Marcos Alonso and Mason Mount both had spiky exchanges with the
Leeds fans, while the Football Association could investigate after Chelsea’s
captain, César Azpilicueta, appeared to direct an obscene gesture at a raucous
away end. “I didn’t see any of this,” Tuchel said. “I was fully focused on the
match.”
In Tuchel’s defence, it was hard to take your eyes off the
pitch. Chelsea, their confidence low after uneven displays against Zenit St
Petersburg and West Ham, were vulnerable throughout. Once again their sheen of
defensive invincibility was nowhere to be seen. They never looked comfortable
and have let a lead slip five times in their last three games, conceding eight
goals in the process.
All the same this could be a crucial win for Chelsea, who
are still in touch with Manchester City and Liverpool at the top of the Premier
League. “I was confident that we can turn things around,” Tuchel said. “We
played a little bit with the fear that we had something to lose. It always is a
bit of luck. Maybe it is our turn. We needed this win desperately for the mood,
for the belief, for the atmosphere.”
Chelsea would not have it all their own way. Typically
adventurous, Leeds did not hesitate to attack. There were openings for Jack
Harrison and Raphinha, who saw a free-kick pushed away by Édouard Mendy, and
Tuchel must have been concerned at how easily the visitors played through his
midfield, where the absence of N’Golo Kanté and Mateo Kovacic left Chelsea
short of balance.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek was a ponderous presence and Jorginho,
who was playing through hip and back pain, found the pace difficult. Leeds had
too much room and it did not come as a surprise when they went ahead in the
28th minute, Raphinha planting a penalty past Mendy after a skittish challenge
from Alonso on Daniel James, who was deputising for Patrick Bamford.
Those two had previous: Alonso, who has struggled at left
wing-back in Ben Chilwell’s absence, gave away a penalty by fouling James when
the winger was playing for Manchester United in October 2019. Chelsea grew
nervy after falling behind. The moves felt forced, with Timo Werner a blunt
instrument on the left, and it was hard to see where a goal was coming from as
half-time approached.
With tempers rising, however, Chelsea profited by increasing
the intensity of their press. After 42 minutes Alonso made amends by robbing
Stuart Dallas. An exchange of passes with Werner took Alonso to the byline and
when the Spaniard cut the ball back, Mount clipped a low finish past Illan
Meslier.
Now the momentum belonged to Chelsea. The disappointing Kai
Havertz was denied by Meslier. Leeds, who were without Liam Cooper and Kalvin
Phillips, fell back and the pressure told when Rüdiger, such a driving force
for Chelsea with his runs from the back, was fouled by Raphinha, whose scissor
challenge was penalised by VAR.
Up stepped Jorginho, coolly beating Meslier, but Chelsea
could not relax. Leeds levelled brilliantly, Klich releasing Tyler Roberts to
cross for Gelhardt to score with his first touch.
At that stage Chelsea, who responded by throwing on Romelu
Lukaku, looked directionless. Somehow they found a second wind. Thankfully for
Tuchel, there was not enough time left for Chelsea to throw another lead away
once Jorginho had made it 3-2.