Mendy howler sends Chelsea crashing to Leeds defeat

published : 21 Aug 2022 at 23:45

LONDON: Chelsea suffered their first Premier League defeat this season as Edouard Mendy’s embarrassing blunder put Leeds on course for a 3-0 win, while Brighton condemned West Ham to a third successive loss on Sunday.

Mendy’s costly mistake was the catalyst for Chelsea’s shocking implosion at Elland Road as Brenden Aaronson netted after catching the goalkeeper taking too long in possession.

Rodrigo’s fourth goal in three games this season doubled Leeds’ advantage before half-time.

Jack Harrison completed Leeds’ first win over Chelsea since 2002 and their biggest against their old rivals since 1995.

Adding to Chelsea’s misery, their Senegal defender Kalidou Koulibaly was sent off for a second booking after tripping Joe Gelhardt in the 84th minute.

“Everything that can go wrong, did go wrong. It started yesterday. We had no plane to arrive so we came on the bus. The players could fly but for the coaching staff it was a long ride on the bus. It continued today. We lost the game in the first 20 minutes, where we were clearly better and had huge chances,” Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel said.

“If we give goals away like this that are totally unnecessary, and when we are totally in charge, we cannot win football matches.

“What do you expect if you present two goals to an opponent in the Premier League? We give goals away from huge individual errors too often.”

Unbeaten after three games, Leeds sit second in the table as boss Jesse Marsch builds on the momentum established during the club’s successful fight to avoid relegation last season.

In contrast, Chelsea find themselves in the unusual position of sitting below their less glamorous west London neighbours Fulham and Brentford in the table.

Tuchel’s side have taken four points from their first three games and the German will be concerned at the way his expensively rebuilt team faded after Mendy’s howler.

Raheem Sterling should have given Chelsea the lead inside the first 60 seconds, but the forward’s penetrating run ended with a shot that curled wide from 12 yards.

Mendy gifted Leeds the opening goal in the 33rd minute when the Chelsea keeper took too long to clear Thiago Silva’s backpass before attempting a suicidal turn that allowed Aaronson to steal the ball and tap into the empty net.

It was the United States winger’s first goal for Leeds since his close-season move from Red Bull Salzburg.

Chelsea were shell-shocked and, just four minutes later, Mendy was beaten again as Rodrigo rose above Reece James to glance a superb header into the far corner from Harrison’s free-kick.

Encapsulating Chelsea’s meltdown, Marc Cucurella wasted a chance to reduce the deficit when the left-back shot tamely wide with the goal at his mercy.

Harrison put the result beyond doubt in the 69th minute when he poked home from close range after Rodrigo knocked down Daniel James’ cross.

At the London Stadium, Brighton added to West Ham’s woes with an impressive 2-0 victory.

Alexis Mac Allister put Brighton ahead in the 22nd minute after Danny Welbeck was fouled by West Ham’s debutant defender Thilo Kehrer, a signing from Paris Saint-Germain.

Kehrer claimed the foul had taken place outside the penalty area, but a VAR check decided it was just inside and Mac Allister calmly converted the spot-kick.

Leandro Trossard raced through to bag Brighton’s second goal with a composed finish past Lukasz Fabianski in the 66th minute.

Brighton are in fourth place with seven points from their first three games, while West Ham slumped below Manchester United to the bottom of the table.

Manchester City will take over from Arsenal in first place if the champions beat Newcastle by at least a two-goal margin at St James’ Park in Sunday’s late game.

Pep Guardiola’s side have won the first two matches of their title defence, while unbeaten Newcastle have four points.