Chelsea 2-2 Leeds: Blues blow two-goal lead to drop first Premier League points under Rosenior

Chelsea dropped points for the first time in the Premier League under Liam Rosenior after they blew a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at home to Leeds.

Joao Pedro put Chelsea ahead in the first half and were crusing when Cole Palmer doubled their advantage from the penalty spot shortly after the break.

But Lukas Nmecha halved the deficit with a penalty of his own in the 67th minute, before a defensive mix-up allowed Noah Okafor to roll the ball into an empty net to grab a huge point in their bid for survival.

Things could have been much different, however, had Palmer not missed from two yards out with almost the whole goal to aim at deep into stoppage time as they settled for a point apiece.

It sees Chelsea miss the chance to bolster their Champions League aims, with Leeds going four clear of the drop zone.

Chelsea vs Leeds as it happened

Chelsea saw a lot more of the ball early on but neither side managed to create a chance of note in the opening 10 minutes, with Pedro almost finding Estevao with a brilliant reverse ball before James Justin headed comfortably into the path of Robert Sanchez from a promising free-kick position.

Palmer also scuffed a shot way off the mark from the centre of the box after some nice work down the left by Marc Cucurella, with a slight touch by Ilia Gruev putting the England international off.

In a game lacking in any real quality up to that point, Pedro provided it in abundance as he latched onto a Palmer through ball before lifting the ball over Karl Darlow with a delicate chip to open the scoring.

Some wonderful build-up play by the Blues allowed Palmer to drive the ball upfield but he could only shoot it at the keeper from the edge of the box.

The forward then missed a good chance to shoot shortly after before being dispossessed, with Pedro also screwing a volley wide of the mark as the Blues pressure continued towards the end of the half.

Leeds’ task to get themselves back in the game was made even harder by a needless bit of defending by Jaka Bijol, who blatantly pushed Pedro in the back to give away the penalty.

Palmer, fresh off his hat-trick at the weekend which included two from the spot, stepped up and sent Darlow the wrong way to double Chelsea’s advantage.

Enzo Fernandez could easily have made it three when he found space after a scramble in the box but the Argentinian got his shot all wrong and he sliced it out for a throw-in on the far side.

Leeds were given the chance to get themselbes back in it out of nowhere after another needless foul, this time by Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo, tripped Jayden Bogle, allowing Nmecha to confidently step up and bury the penalty in front of the travelling Whites contingent at Stamford Bridge.

Stamford Bridge was then stunned when a Bogle drive forward left Sanchez and the Chelsea defenders struggling to clear the ball away, before the ball trickled into Noah Okafor’s path to tap into an empty net.

Chelsea pushed to restore their lead with a sumptuous cross from Pedro Neto just curling the wrong side of the post before Joao Pedro poked a Palmer cross just wide.

It was all Chelsea in the closing stages with crosses continually being pumped into the box and a Pedro header just skimmed the top of the bar and over.

But by far the biggest missed chance of the night went to Palmer at the death, after a lovely Caicedo cross found the England man all of two yards out and he somehow spooned the ball over the bar.