Chelsea fc loosing to Leeds must temporarily put their premier league title aspirations aside 2025/2026

Chelsea FC have definitively relinquished their third-place finish in the Premier League. The Londoners suffered a surprising 3-1 defeat at Leeds United, dropping Enzo Maresca’s side to fourth in the English league. 

Without Jorrel Hato in the starting lineup, it was up to Chelsea to provide a response to Aston Villa in Wednesday’s late match. The Birmingham side secured a strong 3-4 victory at Brighton & Hove Albion, lifting Unai Emery’s men into third place. However, a win over Leeds would see Chelsea leapfrog Villa.

In the first half, however, it quickly became clear that victory would be a difficult task. Leeds played a lively game, but it was Chelsea, in particular, that looked particularly weak. Their defense was very weak, and goalkeeper Robert Sanchez was soon forced to make a save. Jaka Bijol made it 1-0 for Leeds after six minutes, and a superb strike from Ao Tanaka put Chelsea 2-0 down before halftime.

Immediately after the break, Chelsea pulled one back through Pedro Neto, but the visitors’ play wasn’t much better. Leeds continued to dominate and got what they deserved after 72 minutes: 3-1. Dominic Calvert-Lewin sealed the match with a brilliant move.

The defeat drops Chelsea from third to fourth in the Premier League. Aston Villa is now third. It’s a major setback for Chelsea, especially since they scored three goals against the powerful FC Barcelona in the Champions League last week. Wikipedia