Up in the directors’ box, Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali were deep in conversation. Chelsea’s co-owners had witnessed a rare thing: a goal, a win, hints of a tactical plan. It so easily could have gone in a different direction. Chelsea were a bag of nerves during the dying stages and although they were in no position to turn down three precious points it is doubtful whether an energetic but flawed victory over struggling opposition will be enough to silence Graham Potter’s naysayers.
Unfortunately for Potter, his critics will be waiting to see whether his side can salvage their Champions League campaign when they host Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday. This triumph, Chelsea’s third in 16 games, was far from complete. There was the usual edginess in attack before the winner arrived from a set-piece, Wesley Fofana heading home, and there was even some dissatisfaction in the stands late on, the crowd howling when a counterattack ended with their team playing it safe instead of trying to kill Leeds off with a second goal.
