Chelsea returned to winning ways with a 3-0 win against Leeds United at Elland Road.
Mason Mount scored after four minutes to give the Blues the lead, the England international curled the ball into the top corner, giving Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier no chance.
Daniel James was sent off after 24 minutes after a poor challenge on Mateo Kovacic, a tackle which left the Croatian unable to continue.
A medical emergency in the Chelsea end saw the game stopped before half-time, with the individual later thankfully announced to be stable and receiving treatment by Sky Sports.
Christian Pulisic doubled Chelsea’s lead in the 55th minute. A brilliant flick from Mount set up the American, who finished into the bottom corner.
Romelu Lukaku rounded off the scoring in the 83rd minute. The Belgian taking his time on the ball before finishing emphatically past Meslier for his 15th goal of the season.
Here is five things Absolute Chelsea learned from Wednesday’s clash:
1)Mount is influential
Mason Mount had a brilliant game, once again showing his class, as well as his importance to the Chelsea team. A brilliant goal and a clever assist for Pulisic’s goal capped an impressive performance for Mount, but his work rate caused problems for the Leeds defence all night. Whenever Mount was on the ball, he looked dangerous, his energy and movement is something Chelsea missed against Wolves, and that was clear today.
2)Kovacic could be a big miss on Saturday
It’s too early to confirm the severity of the injury suffered by Kovacic after the tackle by Daniel James. All that can be said is that from the reaction of the player, as well as the fact he was taken off soon after, suggests that the injury could be a bad one. This would be a big miss for Chelsea, the first 20 minutes of the game he looked lively, and was key to Chelsea taking complete control of the game early on. Against Liverpool the midfield battle will be important, and Kovacic not playing would come as a relief to the Reds. Hopefully it isn’t too serious.
3)Lukaku currently looks up to the challenge
Romelu Lukaku is starting to look like a player that could have a real impact at the club in the next few seasons. Another strong performance from the Belgian, following two goals at the weekend against Wolves, suggests that after a difficult season, he might finally be showing why Chelsea payed such a large sum of money for him last summer. His goal in the 83rd minute was reward for a great performance. After no league goals since December, he now has three in his last two games.
4)Tuchel is one of the best managers Chelsea have ever had
With Chelsea’s inconsistent form recently, there was some scrutiny over the job Thomas Tuchel was doing. Tonight reminded people why he must be kept at Chelsea if the Blues are to have any success in the near future. With a side that has been depleted by injuries all season, and with players not performing, the German has managed to guide his side to two domestic cup finals and winning two trophies. Tonight was a tricky test against a side battling for survival, and his team selection was perfect to negate any threat Leeds may have had early on.
5)A very important win
With most of the focus at Chelsea aimed at the FA cup final, the importance of tonight’s game seemed to slightly undermined. This win tonight puts Chelsea on the brink of securing Champions league football for next season, and puts them four points clear of Arsenal and eight points clear of Tottenham with just two games remaining. A good performance and a great win, as the Blues now look towards the FA cup final.
