Fofana saves Potter's job in rare Chelsea win against Leeds United

Wesley Fofana was the hero for Chelsea in a 1-0 win against Leeds United

PREMIER LEAGUE Fofana saves Potter's job in rare Chelsea win against Leeds United

Tunde Young 17:58 - 04.03.2023

Chelsea returned to winning ways in the Premier League with a 1-0 win at home to Leeds United

Chelsea ended a six-game winless streak with a hard-fought victory at home to Leeds United thanks to a second-half goal by Wesley Fofana.

var widgetLoaderConfig = widgetLoaderConfig || { CDN_URL: 'https://widgets.sportal365.com', APP_LINK: 'desktop', API_URL: 'https://africa.football.api.sportal365.com/', API_KEY: '2f852b4de2f3a5cf3188e74b33087bb4:2c18422f8e826a7d11aeed52edb2449e', LANG: 'en', REQUEST_INTERVAL: 30, ENABLE_BET_SLIP: false, AUTHOR: false, THEME: "light", TOURNAMENT_ORDER: "pulse_nigeria", LINK_OPTIONS_V2: { 'player' : { 'url': '/football/player/{playerId}' }, 'team' : { 'url': '/football/{teamId}' }, 'tournament': { 'url': '/football/competition/{tournamentId}' }, 'match': { 'url' : '/football/match/{matchId}', 'sort': { 'criteria': 'alphabetically', 'direction': 'asc' } }, 'configuration': { 'newWindow': false }, 'standings_tournament': { 'url': '/football/competition/{tournamentId}/standings' } } }; if (!document.querySelector('script[src="https://widgets.sportal365.com/loader.bundle.min.js"]')) { window.setTimeout(function () { let scriptCss = document.createElement('link'); scriptCss.href = 'https://www.pulsesports.ug/css/sport-widgets.css?v=1668785443'; scriptCss.rel = 'stylesheet'; scriptCss.type = 'text/css'; document.body.appendChild(scriptCss); let scriptTag = document.createElement('script'); scriptTag.src = 'https://widgets.sportal365.com/loader.bundle.min.js'; scriptTag.defer = true; scriptTag.onload = function () { window.setTimeout(function () { new SMPWidgetsLoader(widgetLoaderConfig); }, 200); }; document.head.appendChild(scriptTag); }, 0); } else { new SMPWidgetsLoader(widgetLoaderConfig); }

The Blues came into this game on a run of three straight defeats and without a win in their last six which had put manager Graham Potter under immense pressure.

The English manager can breathe a little easier thanks to this narrow win over a stubborn opponent thanks to Fofana's second-half header.

Chelsea 1-0 Leeds United 

Chelsea started the game on the front foot and created the best chance early on when Raheem Sterling led a counterattack and played Kai Havertz through on goal but the German forward was denied by Meslier in the Leeds goal.

Sportimage
London, England, 4th March 2023. Kai Havertz of Chelsea has his shot saved by Illan Meslier of Leeds United during the Premier League match at Stamford Bridge, London. Picture credit should read: Paul Terry Sportimage EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorised audio, video, data, fixture lists, club league logos or live services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club league player publications. SPI-2276-0007 Sportimage

Sterling was the brightest in blue, creating another good chance in the first half, this time cutting back to João Félix who side-footed a bouncing ball onto the crossbar from the edge of the area.

Chelsea tried and failed to find the breakthrough in the first half as Leeds also grew into the game but the halftime whistle blasted with no goals to report.

The second half began just as the first ended, with Chelsea on the front foot but lacking a finishing touch, this time Raheem Sterling fired off target from close range.

Chelsea finally made their deserved breakthrough with 53 minutes on the clock, as Wesley Fofana rose highest to head in Chillwell’s corner.

Sportimage
London, England, 4th March 2023. Wesley Fofana of Chelsea scores the opening goal during the Premier League match at Stamford Bridge, London. Picture credit should read: Paul Terry Sportimage EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorised audio, video, data, fixture lists, club league logos or live services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club league player publications. SPI-2276-0033 Sportimage

The goal would prove to be the decisive moment of the game as Chelsea failed to add to their lead and Leeds forced Kepa Arizabalaga into some good saves to keep the scoreline at 1-0.

The result is only Chelsea's second win of 2023, first of which was also a 1-0 home win against Crystal Palace, sparing Potter's blushes from an imminent sacking.

Related content