Leeds 0 Chelsea 3: Blues all-but seal Champions League spot with Dan James sent off for lunge plunging side towards drop
IF you thought Leeds were dirty under Don Revie, try watching Jesse Marsch’s clobbers.
But while Revie’s mob backed it up with results, the American looks to be sending the Whites crashing down into the Championship.
Not only have the last three games produced three defeats, but also the loss of three key players for the final two games – all because of shockingly bad challenges.
The American boss is big on motivational words, flip-flopping from quoting pacifist Gandhi to his players to demanding unrelenting blood and thunder.
The result of those mixed messages? Stuart Dallas breaking his leg after a nasty challenge on Manchester City’s Jack Grealish, Luke Ayling being sent off last week for a sinister lunge on Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli, and now Dan James being shown red for arguably the worst of the lot.
Mason Mount had already put Chelsea ahead with his 11th of the season, getting the stuttering Blues back on track just in time for Saturday’s FA Cup final versus Liverpool.
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But when you’re still in the game, scrapping for your life to avoid relegation, you simply don’t do what Dan James did.
Or Dallas. Or Ayling.
Not that it came as any surprise to anybody who has listened to hyped-up Marsch in recent weeks.
Twenty-four minutes in and the Welshman flung himself into a 50/50 challenge with Mateo Kovacic.
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He may have won the ball first, but the studs were up and the sickening follow through planted straight into the Croatian’s ankle.
Whatever the hell motivator Marsch is saying to his team, it isn’t even remotely working.
When quoting Gandhi and Saint Mother Teresa gets results like this, it might be time for a rethink.
Leeds are only the eighth side in Prem history to see a player red carded in the first half of back-to-back games, and the first since Hull in 2016.
With Brighton and Brentford still to play, there remains a glimmer of hope that they can jump from 18th above Burnley.
However, not only have they conceded the second-most goals, it looks like they could play a whole season without scoring again.
For Chelsea, a win to restore some much-needed calm.
A top-four spot which started to look in real jeopardy as their form collapsed should be secure now.
Eight points clear of Tottenham in fifth, attention now turns to Liverpool on Saturday and ending this turbulent campaign with Wembley glory.
Christian Pulisic and Romelu Lukaku bagged the second and third for Thomas Tuchel’s side, who stopped the rot following a three-game winless run.
They could have had a hatful more too, whereas Leeds failed to register a single shot on target.
As worried as the locals fans were heading into this one, Elland Road was crackling at kick off.
The two sets of fans despise each other, stretching all the way back to the 1970 FA Cup final when Revie’s Leeds and Dave Sexton’s Blues kicked lumps out of each other.
Last night, songs about fetching their father’s gun and shooting the Chelsea scum filled the Yorkshire air.
This was the first time supporters have been present here for a league match since 2003-04, the season Leeds were relegated.
And if a straw poll was conducted after Mount’s opener inside four minutes, you won’t have found many locals confident of survival this time around.
Antonio Rudiger to Marcos Alonso on the left, who played it inside to Romelu Lukaku.
The Belgian played it neatly around the corner to Mount with the midfielder switching it out to Reece James bombing up the right.
Mount got it back from James at the top of the box and curled a stunner around Illan Meslier into the top corner.
Leeds were a bag of nerves, unable to get out of their own half.
Without Ayling and Dallas, Marsch had few options with his team selection at the back.
He decided on a back five consisting of four centre backs and flying winger Raphinha at right wing-back.
It was as awkward as it sounded, and the night was turning into a full-blown horror show when James was sent off 24 minutes in after ANOTHER horrendous tackle.
Unsurprisingly, Kovacic didn’t last much longer, replaced by Ruben Loftus-Cheek and now a serious doubt for the Wembley showpiece.
Not that the merciless home fans saw it that way as he sat on the bench, lobbing missiles and smashing on the back of the dugout.
At half-time, there were pensive faces in every corner of Elland Road.
And their fears were confirmed 10 minutes after the break when Pulisic doubled the West Londoner’s lead.
Some neat build up play ended with Mount playing a lovely first-time flick to Pulisic at the top of the box.
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The American then took a touch to set himself before drilling past Meslier into the bottom corner.
And Lukaku made it three goals in two games with the third, drilling home from 10 yards after Diego Llorente had his pocket picked by Mount.