Premier League news: Five key moments behind Leeds United’s thrilling comeback at Chelsea

Two goals down at Stamford Bridge after Jaka Bijol’s severe moment of madness, all hope seemed lost for Leeds United against Chelsea, but two quickfire goals skyrocketed the Whites into 15th place in the Premier League table.

I would say Tuesday night’s game was less one of two halves and more one of a comfortable home win turning into pure chaos in the closing stages.

Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer had Chelsea in absolute cruise control, but as it turned out, that was where the first mistake was made.

With around a quarter of the game still to play, a clumsy challenge from Moises Caicedo on Jayden Bogle gave Leeds a lifeline from the spot, which Lukas Nmecha converted with a minimum of fuss.

Then, just six minutes later, despite massive claims for handball against Bogle, he managed to thread the ball through a sea of blue shirts to find Noah Okafor, who put the Whites level.

It was a night that neither set of fans will forget in a hurry as nobody could fully believe what they had just witnessed in the second half.

Here, Sports News Blitz writer Charlie Fawcett offers his insight into the most unlikely of Leeds comebacks in West London.

Daniel Farke’s substitutions

Prior to the game getting underway, massive questions were asked amongst the Leeds fanbase over a bizarre decision taken around team news.

Leeds went into the game with six defenders listed in their starting XI, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin being left out due to illness.

However, when it was quickly realised that the tactics were nowhere near effective enough, the proactiveness of Daniel Farke was on full show.

Moments before Chelsea’s penalty was awarded, Sebastiaan Bornauw was substituted for a much more attacking-minded player in Noah Okafor.

Ultimately, the introduction of a difference-maker turned out to be a huge factor in Leeds clawing themselves back as, despite the build-up being filled with scrappy play and controversy, it was Okafor who prodded the ball home from close range for the equaliser.

This once again showed the managerial prowess possessed by Farke.

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The travelling fans

Despite this particular fixture being on the road and fan support being more of a trend during home games for the Whites, it was still massively apparent for all to see that the away end had an impact on Leeds keeping themselves in the game.

Even when all felt lost, it was the visiting contingent behind the goal making all the noise as they got behind a team which, let’s be absolutely clear, has done them extremely proud this season by fighting for the points no matter the situation.

This was evidenced more than ever by Leeds still believing at 2-0 down away at the world champions.

READ MORE: Chelsea fail to get the better of old rivals Leeds Utd in a 2-2 draw

A resilient spirit

On a similar note to the previous point, Leeds showed off the commitment and fight that they have been lacking on the road this season in impressive style at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday evening.

At Elland Road, there have been many occasions where Leeds have started slowly but still come out on top, whether that be the recent victory over Nottingham Forest or the wins against Fulham and Crystal Palace in the months prior.

All of those wins saw Leeds start slowly and then begin to turn the screw in the latter stages to get the job done.

Of course, the improvement at Stamford Bridge didn’t begin until Chelsea found the net for a second time on Tuesday, but not playing at your best and still picking up points is a great trend to have in your locker – especially during a relegation battle.

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Chelsea’s poor discipline

Leeds were handed a big opportunity to come back into the game when multiple Chelsea defenders were left walking a tightrope, with Malo Gusto and Josh Acheampong both receiving early bookings.

This left Chelsea’s backline susceptible to a more severe punishment.

Although this was evidently not the main factor contributing to the Blues letting the two-goal lead slip, it almost certainly must have had a psychological impact on the West London side.

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THAT Palmer miss

Where better to end than with the moment that confirmed a share of the spoils for the resilient boys from West Yorkshire.

It was a moment when it felt like something up there was shining on Leeds United,

Fresh from his hat-trick against Wolves at the weekend, Palmer was perfectly placed to tap home a sumptuous stoppage-time cross from Caicedo but, amazingly, he didn’t.

The England international left the 37,000 Chelsea supporters inside Stamford Bridge speechless as he saw the ball drift over the bar from deep in the six-yard box.

This was just one of those times when the utter chaos of football is showcased in the most dramatic of ways, and for me, it was potentially the biggest moment of the whole contest.

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