What made the difference in Leeds United’s ‘dream’ performance against Chelsea, according to Brenden Aaronson - YEP 21/8/22

Leeds United attacker Brenden Aaronson says his side showed more desire than Chelsea on Sunday.

By Flora Snelson

The Whites claimed their first Premier League win against the Blues for 21 years as Jesse Marsch’s side ran out 3-0 winners at Elland Road.

Aaronson opened the scoring for Leeds by poaching the ball from under Chelsea ‘keeper Édouard Mendy’s feet and slotting it into an empty net.

Minutes later, Rodrigo headed home his fourth goal of the season before Jack Harrison added a third in the second half.

The result, which lifted Leeds up to second in the Premier League table, excited fans as much as the performance – which United manager Jesse Marsch dubbed the ‘best’ he’d seen since his appointment in February.

Aaronson, who became the club’s record signing when he reunited with his former RB Salzburg boss in May, is on cloud nine.

“We dreamed about it for a long time,” the 21-year-old said.

“For me, it’s a dream come true and for this club, it shows how much progress we’ve made."

Against the recent Champions League winners, Leeds were a dominant force – with running data showing that the home team ran 11 kilometres more than their opponents at one point during the Sunday afternoon fixture.

Aaronson claims the statistic speaks volume about the mood of the team.

"It kind of just shows you who wants it more, in the moment of time,” the American said.

"We had the drive today, we were all pumped up, the crowd got us pumped up all the time, you could see it on the field, everybody was driven and that’s the kind of goals we score.”