SAN FRANCISCO, December 06, (THEWILL) – Frenchman Olivier Giroud’s fiery form in front of goal continued as Chelsea came from behind to claim a 3-1 win over Leeds United in the Premier League on Saturday, sending the Blues to the top of the EPL.
Marcelo Bielsa’s charges went ahead in the fourth minute when ex-Chelsea man Patrick Bamford got on the end of a superb pass from Kalvin Phillips and nipped past Edouard Mendy before guiding the ball into the vacant net.
Having left Stamford Bridge in 2017 without making a first-team appearance, Bamford, took his tally of Premier League away goals to seven, the joint-best alongside Tottenham’s Son Heung-min and Leicester’s Jamie Vardy.
Left winger Timo Werner should have done better when the ball dropped to him from a corner but he could only scuff a close-range finish and then somehow struck the crossbar when it seemed easier to score.
The hosts got themselves back on level terms when a low cross from Reece James was met by Giroud, who directed the ball past Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier at his near post.
At the half-hour mark, manager Frank Lampard was forced to make a change when Hakim Ziyech left the field clutching his hamstring and was replaced by Christian Pulisic.
The second half continued with the intensity of the first. A last-ditch block denied midfielder Raphinha from scoring for Leeds before Werner saw two good efforts saved by Meslier.
Defender Kurt Zouma climbed highest to meet a Mason Mount corner just after the hour and powerfully headed the ball past Meslier to put the home side ahead. The centre back has four goals in 10 Premier League games this season. That is as many as he managed in his first 141 games in the competition.
Substitute Pulisic put the gloss on the result in the third minute of added time when he tapped home from Werner’s cross as Leeds were caught on the break.
The win sends Chelsea top of the Premier League table for the time being. Tottenham and Liverpool can both climb back above them if they win their matches on Sunday.
Giroud now has 13 goals in his last 13 starts in all competitions for Chelsea and became the first Chelsea player to score in six consecutive Premier League starts since Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink in October 2001.
For their next games, Chelsea host Russian side Krasnodar in their final Champions League group fixture on Tuesday, while Leeds welcome West Ham to Elland Road in the Premier League on Friday.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
