Overview
Chelsea romped to an easy win on the back of an energetic pressing performance, aided by Leeds completely losing their heads from the first minute. Jesse Marsch’s men had arguably the most reckless pressing performance of any team against Chelsea this season and were made to pay for it from the first to the last minute.
This was exactly the type of game we needed to find our footing after a rough few weeks. Leeds insisted upon their incomplete press and not even a red card deterred them, opening up acres of space for us to exploit. If we had been on better form, we could have easily doubled our tally on the night but three goals will do nicely for now.
Match statistics
Stats are from fbref and understat.
Individual ratings
Thomas Tuchel
After a kamikaze display against Wolves, Tuchel reverted to a more measured setup. The reintroduction of Jorginho into the starting XI made the team play at a controlled pace while the reintroduction of Trevoh Chalobah ensured we were better protected in duels in wider regions.
More important was Tuchel’s use of Lukaku. Despite scoring one fewer goal than against Wolves, this was a better overall display. The system was designed to feed Lukaku and we reaped the rewards. He got on the ball plenty of times and in a wide range of locations, creating excellent offensive opportunities. The key is now to do this consistently and against better teams.
RATING: 8
Édouard Mendy — GK
Had nothing to do in terms of shot-stopping. His distribution was outstanding.
RATING: 6.5
Reece James — RWB
Had a quietly excellently display on both sides of the ball. He did a great job moving the ball into dangerous areas and locked up his opposite number when asked to do so.
Stats of note
5 key passes — 1st
8 shot-creating actions — T-1st
3 passes into penalty box — T-1st
8 progressive passes — T-1st
10 progressive carries — 2nd
2 successful dribbles (3 attempted) — T-2nd
4 carries into final-third — T-2nd
RATING: 7.5
Trevoh Chalobah — RCB
Was excellent in ground duels except for one occasion in the second half when he went to ground instead of staying upright. His passing volume was good but he could have done better in moving it forward.
Stats of note
19 loose-ball recoveries — 1st
4 tackles — T-1st
7 passes into final-third — 2nd
3 interceptions — 2nd
2 aerial duels won (3 contested) — T-2nd
RATING: 8
Andreas Christensen — CB
Was very important in evading Leeds’ pressure, acting as a great link to midfield and wider areas. While the numbers do not necessarily reflect it, this was a great on-ball display.
Stats of note
11 loose-ball recoveries — 2nd
RATING: 7.5
Antonio Rüdiger — LCB
Was not tested defensively as much as Chalobah and was not involved in build-up as much as Christensen. This was a sedate display wherein he had a lighter workload than his colleagues but did his duties well.
Stats of note
2 interceptions — T-3rd
RATING: 7
Marcos Alonso — LWB
Most of our play was focused on the right flank — as seen by James having 107 touches compared to Alonso’s 57 — and as such Alonso could not contribute much.
Stats of note
2 aerial duels won (5 contested) — T-2nd
7 progressive passes received — 3rd
RATING: 6.5
Jorginho — RCM
Had another high-volume passing game, getting into a nice run of such games. His ability to receive from Christensen and Mendy was crucial in breaking Leeds’ press and he did a great job moving the ball forward. He was exceptional defensively too, winning the ball back more than anyone else on the pitch and helping us assert ourselves in midfield. Overall, arguably his best performance of the season.
Stats of note
14 passes into final-third — 1st
6 interceptions — 1st
3 passes into penalty box — T-1st
8 progressive passes — T-1st
4 tackles — T-1st
4 shot-creating actions — 2nd
23 pressures — 2nd
4 carries into final-third — T-2nd
9 progressive carries — 3rd
10 loose-ball recoveries — 3rd
RATING: 8.5
Mateo Kovačić — LCM
Looked in fine fettle until he was injured by Daniel James.
Stats of note
2 successful dribbles (3 attempted) — T-2nd
RATING: N/A
Mason Mount — R-AM/C-AM
Continued his blazing run of form against Leeds, scoring a well-taken early goal and dictating proceedings from thereon. He was asked to act as a link between midfield and attacker rather than be a proper attacker and this brought out the best in him. His ball-progression, reception and pressing were all on point — the end-product was just the icing on the cake.
Stats of note
1 goal
29 pressures — 1st
9 touches in penalty box — 1st
13 progressive carries — 1st
8 carries into final-third — 1st
8 shot-creating actions — T-1st
4 tackles — T-1st
2 carries into penalty-box — T-1st
5 shots — 2nd
7 progressive passes — 2nd
12 progressive passes received — 2nd
2 key passes — T-2nd
2 passes into penalty box — T-2nd
5 passes into final-third — 3rd
2 interceptions — T-3rd
RATING: 9
Romelu Lukaku — RF
Had a great display, mainly because of our willingness to allow him to flex his whole skillset. So far, we’ve asked him to be just a target-man and this has restricted what he can show on the pitch. While he is capable of staying static and playing wall-passes like Giroud or Benteke, this is not even a quarter of his total skillset and asking him to do only that — like we have done so far — is very counter-productive.
To get the best out of Lukaku, he needs to be allowed to drop deep and to “feel” the ball. Former Chelsea coach Antonio Conte — probably the best in the world at maximizing No.9s — summed it up best:
“He is a very specific striker. Bringing Lukaku into the box, he is dangerous. However, when he starts from midfield, he is incredibly quick. It is very difficult to find a player who is both a target man, but can also run from midfield. [...] It’s a tactical situation too, a centre-forward who goes looking for the opposition defender, backs into him and lays it off for whoever is supporting him. That is a tactical approach used in basketball as well.
“The good thing about Romelu is that he can hurt you anywhere. If you keep him far away from the penalty area, he can kill you with his pace. If you have him in the box, he has the physicality to be a target man.”
Stats of note
1 goal
6 shots — 1st
3 successful dribbles (4 attempted) — 1st
13 progressive passes received — 1st
2 clearances — T-1st
4 aerial duels won (7 contested) — T-1st
8 touches in penalty box — 2nd
RATING: 8
Christian Pulisic – LF
His finish for the goal was ridiculously good and it is a surprise to see it not receive much attention. Otherwise he had a pretty normal outing. Both Pulisic and Lukaku could have assisted each other on a couple of occasions but made bad decisions.
Stats of note
1 goal
2 carries into penalty-box — T-1st
3 shots — 3rd
5 touches in penalty box — 3rd
17 pressures — 3rd
RATING: 7
Substitutes
Ruben Loftus-Cheek (30th minute) – Offered some good press-resistance but his pass-selection was sub-par.
Stats of note
2 clearances — T-1st
4 aerial duels won (6 contested) — T-1st
RATING: 6.5
César Azpilicueta (78th minute) — Nothing of note.
Hakim Ziyech (78th minute) – Did well to create Lukaku’s goal.
Stats of note
2 key passes — T-2nd
2 passes into penalty box — T-2nd
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