It transpires there are worse sights for Thomas Tuchel on the touchline than Antonio Conte refusing to look him in the eye during a perfunctory handshake. Back in the dugout while he appeals against last week’s red card, the Chelsea manager saw his side overrun and overcome, their first defeat of the season inflicted by Leeds United’s frenetic football. Tuchel prizes control and the home side’s inspired brand of chaos brought them victory over historic rivals for the first time since 2002 and their biggest since 1995.
The manner of the defeat was as chastening as the score itself. Chelsea conceded from a set-piece for a second successive match. Edouard Mendy gifted Leeds their opener. Perhaps sieving three goals will strengthen Tuchel’s case that Chelsea need to bid still more for Wesley Fofana to bolster his defence. Instead, the centre-back he has bought, Kalidou Koulibaly, was sent off as he could not cope with the speed of Leeds; much like Tuchel, suspension beckons for him. As it is, his transfer outlay is approaching the £200m mark and it did Chelsea precious little good. Leeds assembled some high numbers of their own in the running statistics of Jesse Marsch’s workaholics.
