Chelsea FC 1-0 Leeds LIVE! Fofana goal
A leaping header from France defender Wesley Fofana earned Chelsea a rare goal and Premier League win against struggling Leeds United on Saturday, easing pressure on coach Graham Potter.
Chelsea were dominant in the first half and on-loan Portuguese Joao Felix rattled the bar but it was not until the 53rd minute that Fofana put away Ben Chilwell’s corner. Fans greeted the goal – only the second scored at home in 2023 – with surprise and relief.
It was the first win since Jan. 15 for Potter’s side who were forced to defend in numbers in the second half as Leeds, who have earned only six points away from home this season, sought an equaliser.
The narrow and not entirely convincing win leaves Chelsea in 10th place but is a boost before their second leg last-16 Champions League game with Dortmund at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, when they need to score twice to overcome a 1-0 deficit.
Chelsea vs Leeds latest news
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Full match report: Wesley Fofana hands Blues a big win ahead of crucial week for Graham Potter
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Chelsea player ratings
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Graham Potter’s message to Chelsea doubters
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Analysis: Potter shows the fight for a future at Chelsea
Chelsea FC 1 – 0 Leeds United FC
Animated Graham Potter shows fight for his Chelsea future after make-or-break Leeds win
17:57 , Jonathan Gorrie
Graham Potter cut an animated figure on the touchline as he fought for his Chelsea future and ended a six-game winless run against Leeds at Stamford Bridge.
Putting in the hard yards in his technical area, the 47-year-old was vocal on the touchline issuing instructions to his side after they returned to a 3-4-3 formation.
At times, the Blues showed green shoots of progress, again starting the match well but wasting their chances.
Read Nizaar Kinsella’s full analysis here!
Graham Potter sends message to Chelsea doubters after vital Leeds win
17:36 , Jonathan Gorrie
Graham Potter says Saturday’s nervy win over Leeds gives Chelsea “something to build on”.
The Blues boss saw his side emerge with three points thanks to Wesley Fofana’s second-half header at Stamford Bridge.
The goal was Chelsea’s first in over 400 minutes and offered some slight reprieve to Potter, who has increasingly come under pressure after a run of just one win in 11 matches.
Still, there were nervy moments throughout the game, particularly late on as Chelsea limped over the finish line.
Read the full story here!
Chelsea player ratings vs Leeds: Wesley Fofana steps up but Kai Havertz continues to frustrate
17:10 , Jonathan Gorrie
Wesley Fofana’s header secured a much-needed win for Graham Potter to ease the pressure on his position as Chelsea manager.
Ahead of kick-off, Potter’s position looked insecure after a run of just one win in 11 matches.
However, Chelsea’s first goal in over 400 minutes gave the Blues a desperately needed three points and, at times, they showed they can play their way out of their bad run.
Joao Felix hit the bar but Georgino Rutter’s effort could have squirmed beyond Kepa Arrizabalaga late into the second half, but for a fortunate deflection.
Nizaar Kinsella was at Stamford Bridge witnessing a pivotal moment for the Blues manager.
Wesley Fofana hands Blues a big win ahead of crucial week for Graham Potter
17:09 , Jonathan Gorrie
Wesley Fofana handed Chelsea a vital win over Leeds on Saturday.
The Blues had to dig deep to beat their rivals at Stamford Bridge but Graham Potter was able to briefly lift the pressure with three points.
Read the full story here!
Leeds so close!
16:49 , Jonathan Gorrie
90 mins: Ayling with a brilliant flick-on and it fizzes across goal!
Chelsea very lucky here.
Chelsea battling away
16:39 , Jonathan Gorrie
80 mins: A battling performance at least provides a platform to build on.
Hardly inspsiring but exactly what they’ve bee missing in recent weeks.
Change in Chelsea formation
16:32 , Jonathan Gorrie
Chelsea are playing a 4-4-2 (diamond). Chukwuemeka comes on for Kovacic.
Chelsea living dangerously
16:25 , Jonathan Gorrie
66 mins: Summerville and Aaronsen causing real problems in behind the defence. Kepa with some very decent saves.
CHANCE FOR LEEDS!
16:19 , Jonathan Gorrie
58 mins: Rutter SO CLOSE to leveling the scores but Kepa smothers.
Nizaar Kinsella at Stamford Bridge
16:16 , Jonathan Gorrie
Chelsea supporters chant: “We’ve scored a goal!, we’ve scored a goal!, we’ve scored a goal!”
Imagine the surprise and joy having not seen a goal for over 400 minutes and not in a home match since January.
GOAL! Chelsea 1-0 Leeds | Wesley Fofana ‘53 mins
16:12 , Jonathan Gorrie
53 mins: Towering header from Fofana to break the deadlock!
Nizaar Kinsella at Stamford Bridge
16:09 , Jonathan Gorrie
You can see why Gianni Infantino chose Millwall over this match. The man must like goals.
Back underway!
16:03 , Jonathan Gorrie
Here we go for the second-half!
Elsewhere across the Premier League
15:54 , Jonathan Gorrie
Big improvement needed in the second-half
15:53 , Jonathan Gorrie
Chelsea need to up the tempo. They cannot approach the second-half like how they ended the first.
HT: Chelsea 0-0 Leeds
15:49 , Jonathan Gorrie
A smattering of boos at the break…
Leeds ending this half much the stronger
15:47 , Jonathan Gorrie
45 mins: Summerville and Harrison real threats now.
Chelsea fans will think they’ve seen this before…
Nizaar Kinsella at Stamford Bridge
15:42 , Jonathan Gorrie
Chelsea have lost a bit of momentum all of a sudden. They didn’t capitalise on their good spell earlier on.
Chelsea’s tempo dips
15:39 , Jonathan Gorrie
38 mins: Not quite as free-flowing as in the opening twenty minutes or so…
Nizaar Kinsella at Stamford Bridge
15:28 , Jonathan Gorrie
Chelsea’s shape has really boxed Leeds into their own half. They’re relying on good individual defending and poor finishing by the Blues to stay into this game. Potter’s system is working today.
OFF THE BAR!!
15:23 , Jonathan Gorrie
21 mins: Brilliant interplay from Fernandez and Sterling frees Felix, whose side-footed shot hits the bar!
Nizaar Kinsella at Stamford Bridge
15:18 , Jonathan Gorrie
Kai Havertz has just had a one-on-one saved by Ilan Meslier. Despite being the club’s top scorer with five goals this season in all competitions, his record isn’t good enough given he has played so many matches and been given so many minutes up front.
CHANCE FOR CHELSEA!
15:16 , Jonathan Gorrie
14 mins: Havertz put through on goal by Sterling but the German, under little pressure, hits a tame chip at the goalkeeper.
Nizaar Kinsella at Stamford Bridge
15:10 , Jonathan Gorrie
Chelsea are well on top early on with some incisive looking play in the new formation. Enzo Fernandez is pulling the strings as ever against Leeds and they’re getting plenty of crosses into the box.
CHANCE FOR CHELSEA
15:06 , Jonathan Gorrie
05 mins: Chilwell plays a brilliant ball for Havertz, though he can’t quite connect with it.
Confident Chelsea start
15:05 , Jonathan Gorrie
04 mins: Quick, confident passing in the early stages here.
Not giving Leeds a second at the moment.
Here we go!
15:01 , Jonathan Gorrie
Closing in on kick-off….
A HUGE game for Graham Potter!
Nizaar Kinsella at Stamford Bridge
14:55 , Jonathan Gorrie
The US men’s national team coaching staff are here at Stamford Bridge. A lot of interest in the Leeds team, while Christian Pulisic and Gabriel Slonina are in the stadium today but not involved.
Out for the warm-ups
14:47 , Jonathan Gorrie
Latest odds
14:31 , Jonathan Gorrie
Betfair – Chelsea vs Leeds
Chelsea – 13/20
Draw – 3/1
Leeds – 9/2
Betfair – Top six finish 22/23
Tottenham – 1/16
Liverpool – 1/8
Newcastle – 1/5
Brighton – 8/5
Chelsea – 5/1
Fulham – 14/1
Brentford – 19/1
Nizaar Kinsella at Stamford Bridge
14:29 , Jonathan Gorrie
Nizaar Kinsella at Stamford Bridge
14:20 , Jonathan Gorrie
Chelsea go for a back three for the first time since mid-January when they did so away at Fulham.
Thiago Silva and Reece James’s absence may have forced their hand but this selection is crucial for Graham Potter’s survival as manager. Ruben Loftus-Cheek is expected to be the makeshift right-wing back again.
Mateo Kovacic is captain as the only player from the leadership group currently fit.
Graham Potter’s pre-match message
14:11 , Jonathan Gorrie
A return to a back three!
14:06 , Jonathan Gorrie
The system served Graham Potter well during the early few weeks of his tenure on charge.
Safe to say he needs it to do so again…
Confirmed Leeds lineup
14:03 , Jonathan Gorrie
Confirmed Chelsea lineup
14:03 , Jonathan Gorrie
Graham Potter’s programme notes
13:44 , Jonathan Gorrie
“The last two results were tough to take, but there is a real determination not to let this run continue because Chelsea is a club that always wants to be in the upper reaches of the table.“The reality is we aren’t there at the moment, but we believe firmly in our ability to get back there and to do so as quickly as possible.
“What I see here now is a group of players and staff that are supporting each other, fighting for one another and making sure that we do absolutely everything in our power to improve and turn things around.
“Believe me, we know we can do much better, it hurts us when we lose games and we are sure that we can turn a corner. We’re in a tough moment, there’s no escaping that, but we are confident in our ability to change things.“We know how frustrating it has been for our supporters and we feel that disappointment deeply too.
“We want nothing more than to change that and to make sure you leave Stamford Bridge at the end of this afternoon’s game with a smile, three points and the feeling that we are headed in the right direction.”
Chelsea teenager earns Brazil call-up and could give Blues cucial boost
13:36 , Jonathan Gorrie
Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos has been called up to the senior Brazil squad for the first time in his career.
The teenager led his country at the South American Under-20 Championship last month, scoring six goals as Brazil went unbeaten and lifted the trophy. Ramon Menezes was in charge of Brazil for that tournament, and is in interim charge of the national side after Tite’s departure.
Santos, signed by the Blues in January for a fee in the region of £18million, has now been rewarded with a place in Brazil’s 23-man squad to face Morocco in Tangier at the end of the month.
It comes after the 18-year-old’s loan move back to Vasco da Gama was confirmed, with Chelsea unable to secure a work permit that would have allowed Santos to play for the Blues this season.
The application for a UK visa was rejected, as he missed the threshold for approval by just one point. However, a senior call-up will help with that visa and could be enough for Santos to secure one in the coming months.
He will return from Brazil to join up with Chelsea’s first team this summer and he will be pushing for regular involvement in the Premier League next season.
“Andrey Santos is moving back to Brazil, re-joining his previous club Vasco da Gama on loan,” a Chelsea statement said.
“The 18-year-old midfielder signed for Chelsea in January from his boyhood club, whom he helped to promotion to the top flight last year. He now has the opportunity to develop further at that level.”
Brian Deane: Chelsea were let down by Lukaku
13:22 , Jonathan Gorrie
Speaking to NewsCasinoUK, Deane said:”I feel that Chelsea definitely need a focal point up top. I think Chelsea were let down by Lukaku to be honest – I was a big fan of his and I felt as though he was the missing piece of the puzzle for Chelsea. Strong, quick and scores goals.
“Whether he fell out with the manager or whatever happened, was so disappointing to see.
“I’m not a big fan of the ‘false 9’ formation that people play nowadays because it’s all about overloading the midfield – yes, Barcelona were fantastic doing it back in the day – but it just means that you’re clearly going to play a certain way.
“Now you look at City playing with a focal point again in Haaland, and teams are being caught out because they’re not sure how to play against an out-and-out centre-forward like Haaland, and how to deal with that movement – Haaland beats you to the near post, can pull off the back stick, can shift the ball, can beat you 1-on-1. He’s the complete centre-forward.”
Head to head (h2h) history and results
13:17 , Jonathan Gorrie
Chelsea were brushed aside 3-0 on a dismal day at Elland Road under Potter’s predecessor Thomas Tuchel back in August, with Brenden Aaronson, Rodrigo and Jack Harrison all on the scoresheet.
That was Leeds’ only win over the Blues since 2002, with Chelsea having won six of the other meetings since then – including a 3-2 thriller at the Bridge last season.
Chelsea wins: 37
Leeds wins: 40
Draws: 30
Abramovich ‘sent message to Chelsea fans’ with ownership blueprint
13:05 , Jonathan Gorrie
Sir Martin Broughton, who was among the final bidders in the race to buy Chelsea last summer, claims that Roman Abramovich’s influence continues to be felt at Stamford Bridge.
The Boehly-Clearlake consortium won the race to buy the Blues for £2.5billion through the investment bank Raine Group, with a further commitment to invest £1.75bn into the club over the next 10 years.
Abramovich decided to sell Chelsea shortly before he was sanctioned by the UK Government following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and he didn’t personally profit from the sale.
Read the full story here!
Potter reveals who makes decision on Mount future as Liverpool lead chase
12:50 , Jonathan Gorrie
Chelsea manager Graham Potter insists a decision on Mason Mount’s future lies with the club.
The midfielder, an academy graduate with the Blues, has fewer than 18 months left on his contract at Stamford Bridge.
Premier League rivals Liverpool are increasingly linked with a move for the England international, who Standard Sport understand the club will sell this summer if an agreement cannot be reached.
Co-owner Todd Boehly is handling high-stakes contract talks with the 24-year-old’s representatives, though they are currently at an impasse over wages and the length of the deal.
Read the full story here!
Potter: I know my job is in peril but Chelsea players STILL back me
12:41 , Jonathan Gorrie
Graham Potter admits that his Chelsea job is in peril ahead of a crucial match against Leeds amid a six-game winless run for the club.
Chelsea desperately need to win at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon after falling to tenth place in the Premier League table, having scored just once in the last six matches.
The atmosphere in front of 40,000 of the club’s own fans could turn toxic if further points are dropped.
Read the full story here!
Prediction: Chelsea to win 1-0
12:32 , Jonathan Gorrie
Regardless of that apparent ongoing support from the Chelsea hierachy, Potter badly needs to start putting some positive results together… and fast.
A failure to beat Leeds at home coupled with an exit from the Champions League in midweek would surely see the former Brighton boss slip further into major trouble.
Chelsea have plenty of possession and nifty passing under Potter, they just cannot seem to convert it into goals as they still lack a figurehead up top despite their eye-watering transfer spend.
Leeds will take great belief from fellow relegation battlers Southampton coming and winning here a fortnight ago, though they have won just once on the road all season – their 2-1 upset of Liverpool at Anfield in October.
Surely Chelsea’s luck has to turn at some stage? It won’t be pretty, but I think they will just about grind out a win here to give a confidence boost for Potter before the vital visit of Dortmund in midweek.
Chelsea to win, 1-0.
Leeds team news: Cooper facing late test
12:31 , Jonathan Gorrie
Leeds remain without a host of players including Rodrigo, Adam Forshaw and Stuart Dallas, meanwhile.
Pascal Struijk has been in the concussion protocol, while Colombian winger Luis Sinisterra is stepping up his return from a hamstring issue. Liam Cooper also faces a late fitness test.
Chelsea team news: Kovacic fit. James out
12:31 , Jonathan Gorrie
Chelsea are set to be boosted by the return of Mateo Kovacic, who is back in training after missing the Spurs derby through illness.
N’Golo Kante and Christian Pulisic are also nearing returns having continued to train with the first team at Cobham this week.
However, Thiago Silva will miss at least the next six weeks with knee ligament damage, with Cesar Azpilicueta, Edouard Mendy and Armando Broja also sidelined along with Mason Mount and Reece James.
Where to watch Chelsea vs Leeds
12:30 , Jonathan Gorrie
TV channel: Today’s game will not be televised live in the UK due to ongoing 3pm blackout restrictions in English football. However, highlights are available on Match of the Day from 10:20pm tonight on BBC One.
Live stream: Fans can also catch those highlights online via the BBC Sport website and BBC iPlayer.
Live blog: You can follow all the action today via Standard Sport’s live blog, with expert analysis from Nizaar Kinsella at the Bridge.
Welcome
12:10 , Jonathan Gorrie
Good afternoon and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Chelsea’s huge Premier League clash with rivals Leeds today.
Kick-off from Stamford Bridge is at 3pm GMT.
