Chelsea vs Leeds United was billed as a routine midweek run-out for two heavily rotated squads. It turned into a nine-goal night at Stamford Bridge, and the Whites came out of it with nothing: 6-3 down, out of the Carabao Cup in the third round, and beaten for the first time this season.
Chelsea vs Leeds United: how a 2-0 lead disappeared
Daniel Farke made eight changes, handing a first Leeds appearance to goalkeeper Michael Zetterer and to loan left-back Melvin Bard, and for 45 minutes the gamble looked inspired. Leeds went ahead in the 23rd minute after a long spell of set-piece pressure — Mike Penders had already produced a double save to deny Brenden Aaronson and Tarik Muharemovic before he dealt poorly with a Harry Wilson corner — and goals from Muharemovic and Aaronson put the Whites two up against a Chelsea side showing nine changes of their own.
Palmer flips it in 12 minutes
Xabi Alonso’s answer was a quadruple half-time substitution, and it landed almost at once. The Guardian reports Chelsea scored four times in 12 minutes, with Cole Palmer inspirational alongside Morgan Rogers and Pedro Neto as the tie ran away from Leeds. Farke’s side still got their three goals, but this was a 14th third-round exit in 18 years and the end of a four-game unbeaten start.
Farke: ‘Unlike us to concede so many’
The Leeds boss told BBC Radio Leeds afterwards that it was “unlike us to concede so many”. He had picked the deepest side of his season so far — the eight changes and double debut we detailed before kick-off — with the Premier League firmly in mind. Attention now turns back to it, with five points already banked from three league games.
