JAKARTA - Chelsea was almost winning after leading 2-0 when hosting Leeds United in an English Premier League match at Stamford Bridge Stadium, Wednesday, February 11, 2026 early morning WIB. Only, Chelsea had to end the match with a 2-2 draw.
The disappointing result because Chelsea started the match very well. They had the opportunity to extend their record of five consecutive victories in the Premier League. Midfielder Cole Palmer showed maximum performance by making an assist that opened the Chelsea goal.
Palmer also strengthened the Blues' advantage after scoring from the penalty spot. However, Leeds, who appeared with full confidence after beating Nottingham Forest 3-1, refused to give up. They were able to catch up in the second half and even tie the score so they could get one point at home.
The result thwarted Chelsea's entry into the Champions League zone. Although they were in the top four, Chelsea eventually dropped back to fifth place after Manchester United drew 1-1 against West Ham United.
Striker Benjamin Sesko successfully saved Man Utd through a goal in the last minute and forced Chelsea back to fifth place with 44 points. One point behind Man Utd.
Meanwhile, Leeds are still struggling at the bottom. They are ranked 15th with 30 points and only six points ahead of West Ham who are in the relegation zone.
The draw left manager Liam Rosenior disappointed. According to him, Chelsea should have won the match, but they failed to maintain the lead. Especially when Palmer had the opportunity to score a goal that could have been the deciding factor.
"We just threw away two moments that could have been the key [to victory]. We should have stayed calm. But anything can happen in football when you throw away important moments. But I hope anyone can see the development of the team that has become better. There have been changes to this team," said Rosenior as quoted by Metro.
Responding to Palmer's failure to take advantage of a chance that should have been a goal, Rosenior judged it as one of the moments that could change the end of the match.
"He was in a position with a 999 to 1000 chance of a goal. This is indeed one of the failed moments. We should not be in that position [draw]. The match should have ended 2-0. This should not happen again," he said.
In that match, Chelsea, who are aiming for a fifth consecutive victory, appeared full of confidence. After being eliminated in the semi-finals of the English League Cup, Chelsea immediately bounced back by beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-1. A dynamic performance with better ball possession made the West London club able to dominate.
However, Chelsea had to wait until the 24th minute when forward Joao Pedro broke into the Leeds goal. The goal was created through a slick collaboration when Palmer, who received the ball from Enzo Fernandez, delivered a breakthrough pass which was then greeted by Pedro. Escaping the offside trap, Pedro made a solo run before defeating goalkeeper Karl Darlow.
This is the 10th goal of the Brazilian striker with Chelsea. Palmer and Pedro's collaboration reminds of the action of the Chelsea legend duo in the 2000s, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba. Together with captain John Terry, they were able to destroy the hegemony of Man Utd and Arsenal in the English League.
The 1-0 lead made Chelsea play more aggressively. Only their attacks still hit a deadlock so that the score remained until the first half ended.
Entering the second half, Chelsea still dominated the game. They also didn't have to wait long to increase the lead when Palmer scored from the penalty spot in the 58th minute.
The penalty was given after defender Jaka Bijol pushed Pedro to fall in the penalty box. The referee pointed to the white spot and the execution was well executed by Palmer which made Chelsea 2-0 ahead.
It's just that after leading two goals, Chelsea slowed down the game. This was then taken advantage of by Leeds to develop the game. The visiting team finally got the opportunity to narrow the gap when they were awarded a penalty following a foul committed by Moises Caicedo against Jayden Bogle.
The referee pointed to the white spot again. This time for Leeds which was then finished by Lukas Nmecha in the 67th minute. The score changed to 2-1 which made Daniel Farke's team more motivated to catch up.
Their efforts were not in vain. Only six minutes later, Leeds managed to equalize the score. The goal started from Bogle's action who controlled the ball and briefly poked it in the penalty box.
But his effort was unsuccessful and the ball went to Noah Okafor. Without difficulty, he fired a shot into an empty net which made the score 2-2.
Chelsea finally got back into the game. They put pressure on the Whites' defense. Only that effort did not bear fruit. A good opportunity was obtained by Palmer when he received a long pass in the 90+4 minute.
However, Palmer's shot in front of the goal still soared. Even Palmer didn't believe his shot in injury time failed to score. The score remained 2-2 until the end of the match.
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