December 12, (THEWILL) – Chelsea beat Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds in a five-goal thriller at Stamford Bridge, courtesy of an injury-time penalty from midfielder Jorginho.
Joe Gelhardt appeared to have earned a point for his side seven minutes from time when, just 81 seconds after replacing Raphinha, he diverted in Tyler Roberts’ low cross from the left flank.
Referee Chris Kavanagh awarded Leeds a penalty after Daniel James was hauled down by Marcos Alonso in the 27th minute and Raphinha nonchalantly went up to the ball before converting the penalty kick.
Chelsea equalised six minutes before halftime when Stuart Dallas lost the ball away in his own third and Marcos Alonso sent a low cross into the box that Mason Mount headed home at the near post to atone for his error.
Just before the hour mark, Jorginho handed the Blues the lead from the penalty spot after a VAR ruling was overturned. Raphinha turned villain when he slid in from a long distance to take Antonio Rudiger and the ball, and Kavanagh, after first awarding a corner, awarded a penalty kick after seeing a replay of the event.
The second spot kick was a challenge on Antonio Rudiger, who exaggerated a touch from behind made by Mateusz Klich. Again, Jorginho stepped up and sent Illan Meslier the wrong way for the second time.
Jorginho’s pair of spot-kicks changed the game in Chelsea’s favour, and the Italy midfielder also picked up a key pass and earned three fouls in a brilliant display that demonstrated how important he is to Thomas Tuchel’s side.
As a result, Chelsea are now two points behind Manchester City in the Premier League
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
