The Blues missed an opportunity to maneuver near fourth-place United
Liam Rosenior’s aspect had been on the right track for a fifth successive Premier League win earlier than Leeds staged a late comeback to seize a draw. Photograph: AFP
LONDON:
Liam Rosenior mentioned Chelsea’s failure to remain calm underneath stress was a “bitter tablet” as they blew a two-goal benefit of their 2-2 draw with Leeds on Tuesday.
Rosenior’s aspect had been on the right track for a fifth successive Premier League victory due to Joao Pedro’s opener and Cole Palmer’s penalty.
However Chelsea collapsed within the closing levels at Stamford Bridge, with Lukas Nmecha’s penalty giving Leeds a lifeline earlier than Noah Okafor tapped within the equaliser.
The fifth-placed Blues’ collapse price them the possibility to maneuver above Manchester United into fourth place, leaving Rosenior to rue their careless defending.
“Two key moments within the recreation that we do not care for. We do not keep calm. How the play will get there, we make a couple of poor selections in the way in which we press and we give away a penalty,” he mentioned.
“I am unable to bear in mind Leeds having a shot or a second within the recreation. A few of our soccer in possession, our press and our vitality was every little thing I wished to see.
“That makes it much more of a bitter tablet to swallow that we’ve not received the sport.”
Leeds’ equaliser owed as a lot to Jayden Bogle’s tenacity in outmuscling Chelsea’s defence because it did to the Blues’ personal hesitancy in coping with the hazard, although Rosenior believed his workforce ought to have had a free-kick.
“The lad handballs it,” he mentioned. “It impacts my gamers in that second. They suppose it is a handball, they swap off, we do not clear the ball and so they rating. Then for 25 minutes it was wave after wave of assault.”
Rosenior has made an encouraging begin to his reign since arriving from Strasbourg to interchange Enzo Maresca in January.
However alongside their League Cup semi-final exit to Arsenal, this was one other signal that the previous Hull boss nonetheless has a lot to work on.
“We’ve got to verify we care for moments and be skilled,” Rosenior mentioned.
“It is not about reacting to setbacks. You are at all times going to have a spell within the recreation whenever you’re not on prime.
“The ridiculous factor for us is that they’ve managed to attain two targets in a five-minute interval when for the opposite 90 minutes we had been by far the higher workforce.”
