Chelsea’s 2-2 EPL draw with Leeds United a ‘bitter pill’ for Liam Rosenior
Sign up now: Get the biggest sports news in your inbox
Chelsea's Cole Palmer (in blue) missing a chance to score the winner late on with Leeds United goalkeeper Karl Darlow scrambling on Feb 10.
PHOTO: REUTERS
LONDON – Liam Rosenior said Chelsea’s failure to stay calm under pressure was a “bitter pill” as they blew a two-goal advantage in their 2-2 draw with Leeds United on Feb 10.
Rosenior’s side were on course for a fifth successive English Premier League victory thanks to Joao Pedro’s first-half opener and a 58th-minute penalty converted by Cole Palmer.
But Chelsea collapsed after the hour mark at Stamford Bridge, with Lukas Nmecha’s spot kick giving Leeds a lifeline on 67 minutes, before Noah Okafor tapped in the equaliser six minutes later.
The stalemate cost the fifth-placed Blues a chance to move above Manchester United into fourth place in the Premier League table, leaving Rosenior to rue their careless defending.
“Two key moments in the game that we don’t take care of. We don’t stay calm... we make a few poor decisions in the way we press and we give away a penalty,” he said.
“I can’t remember Leeds having a shot or a moment in the game. Some of our football in possession, our press and our energy was everything I wanted to see.
“That makes it even more of a bitter pill to swallow that we haven’t won the game.”
Leeds’ equaliser owed as much to Jayden Bogle’s tenacity in outmuscling Chelsea’s defence as it did to the Blues’ own hesitancy in dealing with the danger, though Rosenior believed his team should have had a free kick.
“The lad handballs it,” he said. “It affects my players in that moment. They think it’s a handball, they switch off, we don’t clear the ball and they score. Then for 25 minutes, it was wave after wave of attack.”
Rosenior has made an encouraging start to his reign since arriving from Strasbourg to replace Enzo Maresca in January
But alongside their League Cup semi-final exit to Arsenal
“We have to make sure we take care of moments and be professional,” Rosenior said.
“It’s not about reacting to setbacks. You’re always going to have a spell in the game when you’re not on top.
“The ridiculous thing for us is that they’ve managed to score two goals in a five-minute period when for the other 90 minutes we were by far the better team.”
Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank believes he will retain the support of the club’s owners despite more calls for the Dane to be sacked after a 2-1 defeat by Newcastle United on Feb 10.
Malick Thiaw and Jacob Ramsey scored Newcastle’s goals while Archie Gray found the net for Spurs.
Spurs slipped to 16th in the league, just five points above the relegation zone with 12 games left.
They are not in action again until Feb 22 when they host local rivals and league leaders Arsenal.
Frank said he spoke with the club’s hierarchy on Feb 9 and does not expect the situation to change before the north London derby.
“We understand we are not in a top position and we need to do everything we can to get out,” admitted the former Brentford boss.
“I understand the frustration and the easiest thing is to point at me. That’s part of the job, unfortunately.
“I will work day and night to turn this around but it is not just one person. There is no doubt we need to improve and I need to be part of that.”
Spurs have won just two of their 13 home league matches this season and face a tough schedule ahead with trips to Liverpool, Aston Villa and Chelsea still to come. AFP
