Chelsea frustrated by Leeds stalemate
Chelsea missed a chance to cement their place in the Premier League's best four while Leeds held them to a frustrating 0-0 draw on Saturday.
Thomas Tuchel's area had plenty of chances but couldn't deliver the knockout blow in a hard-fought clash at Elland Street.
The Blues stay in fourth place and fifth-placed West Ham are simply three points in it with two games at hand as the race to be eligible for the Champions League looks set to decrease to the wire.
"We created enough possibilities, enough shots, to rating a couple of goals," Tuchel said.
"Unfortunately we didn't score, so we have to live with a draw. Simultaneously it was a hard pitch, very hard conditions, very slippery, incredibly bouncy.
"We weren't clinical enough on the counter-attacks, our precision or the last touch.
"But we accept all of the difficulties within an away video game against a team that puts a whole lot of pressure you."
Tuchel is now unbeaten in 12 suits in all competitions since replacing the sacked Frank Lampard found in January.
With clean sheets within their last five game titles, Chelsea have conceded only two goals for the reason that period.
However, their goal-scoring concerns under Tuchel resurfaced just as chances came and went in the Yorkshire rainfall.
They have yet to score a lot more than two goals in virtually any match in the Tuchel era.
Wednesday's Champions League previous 16 second leg against Atletico Madrid at Stamford Bridge -- with Chelsea possessing a 1-0 lead -- will be another stern test out of their renaissance beneath the former Paris Saint-Germain boss.
Tuchel made six changes from Monday's win against Everton while Christian Pulisic replaced Timo Werner after studies america winger was unhappy with his lack of action since the German took charge.
On Friday, Tuchel had urged Pulisic to seize his possibility when it came, saying of a new player he worked with at Borussia Dortmund: "He is in my plans. When as soon as comes you need to be ready."
Leeds and Chelsea have already been fierce rivals since their brutal FA Cup final clash in 1970, but the absence of fans as a result of coronavirus lockdown diluted the Blues' first league go to to Elland Street since 2003.
The poor quality of the Elland Highway pitch was almost similar to the battles on fields of mud that identified Chelsea's encounters with Leeds in the 1970s.
- Stroke of luck -
Pulisic wasn't fazed by the rutted surface while he scampered down the proper and whipped over a minimal cross that Kai Havertz poked right in Leeds keeper Illan Meslier.
Leeds launched a good penetrating counter immediately after Havertz's miss and Patrick Bamford's cross was first turned in by Tyler Roberts, limited to the offside flag to come quickly to Chelsea's rescue.
If that was a stroke of good fortune for Chelsea, Leeds benefitted from their own good fortune moments in the future when Diego Llorente whacked a clearance against team-mate Luke Ayling, with the ball looping onto the crossbar before falling in to the grateful Meslier's arms.
As ever with Leeds and their wide-open design, chances came heavy and quickly and Roberts was inches from starting the scoring when Chelsea keeper Edouard Mendy tipped his curler onto the bar.
Chelsea defender Ben Chilwell fired just large from the edge of the region before Mason Mount's 25-yard travel was pushed out by Meslier.
Granted space simply by the statuesque Leeds defence, Kai Havertz should have performed better with a close-range blast that Meslier palmed above early in the next half.
Mendy saved good when his ex - Rennes team-mate Raphinha had a view of target from Rodrigo's knock downwards.
Chilwell had a golden possibility to break the deadlock, but he scuffed large with merely Meslier to beat immediately after surging in to the area.
Antonio Rudiger's hopeful work from 30 yards sent Meslier sprawling to save lots of, while Callum Hudson-Odoi was denied by the keeper as Chelsea's concern petered out.
