Graham Potter eased the pressure on his position as Chelsea manager as the Blues picked up a crucial three points against Leeds at Stamford Bridge. The first-half performance saw home fans boo their team off the pitch before Wesley Fofana headed home the winning goal in the second half.
Reports suggested Chelsea had to win their next two games against Leeds and Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League round of 16 second leg for Potter to keep his job safe. football.london understands Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali remain in support of the former Brighton boss - for now - despite the poor run of results recently.
After taking the lead against Javi Gracia's side, Potter opted to take off both Joao Felix and Raheem Sterling for Conor Gallagher and Denis Zakaria in an effort to stabilise the game as Leeds searched for an equaliser. The Chelsea boss came under criticism for his decision but it paid off as the Blues picked up their first three points in the Premier League since the win against Crystal Palace back in January.
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Speaking after the 1-0 win against Leeds, Potter hit back at his critics who slammed his substitutions for being 'too defensive'. The Chelsea boss said: “Noni Madueke is on. Carney [Chukwuemeka] is an attacking sub.
"There were different profiles. Raheem [Sterling] is coming back from an injury so we had to make those decisions.
"The game got stretched and I wanted us to attack but as soon as you miss the opportunity, you need to be stable. We wanted to score the second goal but, at the same time, it was a game against one of the best teams in terms of high intensity in the Premier League.
"So if the game becomes Hawaii football, up and down, then it can be a challenge. The boys stuck at it and the crowd were great.
"They want us to do well and win with more comfort - we all want that. But given the moment we’re in, it’s not so easy to do. But the boys gave everything today.”
When asked whether the players are still behind him at Stamford Bridge, Potter offered a strong response. “Yes, but as I said in the press conference [yesterday] it needs to manifest itself in results and wins," he added.
"Talk is cheap. I firmly believe in the players and the team but I also acknowledge that the results haven’t been good enough and that is my responsibility. So any criticism is absolutely fair and warranted.
"We have to take it, try to improve, and win. That is the job.”
Whilst the result against Leeds is a huge positive for the Blues, there is yet another huge game on the horizon against Dortmund. Should Potter and his players be able to turn around their 1-0 first leg deficit then the atmosphere amongst supporters could take a huge step in the right direction and prove that Boehly's faith in Potter is well placed.
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