The Blues missed the chance to go fourth.
Chelsea must avoid moments of ‘switching off’, head coach Liam Rosenior said after they surrendered a 2-0 lead in Tuesday’s 2-2 draw with Leeds United.
The Blues missed out on the chance to go fourth in the Premier League table despite appearing in complete control against Daniel Farke’s men at Stamford Bridge.
Joao Pedro’s 24th-minute effort and a Cole Palmer penalty had Chelsea on course for a win that would have taken them fourth, with Manchester United held to a 1-1 draw by West Ham in the evening’s later kick-off.
However, Lukas Nmecha pulled one back from the penalty spot for Leeds, who then claimed a share of the spoils as sloppy Chelsea defending led to a scramble from which Noah Okafor slotted home.
Palmer then missed a gilt-edged chance to clinch the victory as he somehow fired over from point-blank range.
Asked to decipher how Palmer had contrived to miss that chance, Rosenior told a press conference ahead of Friday’s FA Cup fourth-round tie at Hull City: “It wasn’t just that. It wasn’t just that. Yeah, a balanced view is 99% of the game was in what I see.
“In terms of with the ball, in terms of without the ball, in terms of our defending set plays, in terms of our threat on set plays, in terms of our energy, our courage, our habits, it was very, very good. Just those moments, those moments of switching off, they’re the bits where we need to improve.
“But saying that, there was a lot of good in what we did last night and there’s ways you can focus on that and make sure that’s even better.”
Rosenior heads back to Hull
Chelsea’s visit to Humberside sees Rosenior return to the place where he was a manager between 2022 and 2024 before he took over at Strasbourg. Rosenior also played for Hull from 2010 to 2015.
“Firstly, for me, Hull City is very special to me,” Rosenior said.
“My grandma was a season ticket holder. She passed away a year to the day pretty much when I took that job.
“I think she did the [FA Cup] draw. I’ve got my family coming up. I probably need about 20 tickets. The club means a lot to me for many reasons.
“Hopefully we can put on a really, really good show. It will be amazing to go back.
“Without Hull, without the experience of being there as a player and as a manager, I wouldn’t be sat here. I’ve got a lot to thank the club for. I’ve had some amazing times there, both as a player and as a coach.
“It’s really good to see them doing so well in the league. It’s a great club, great people, great fans, a great city. It’s going to be an emotional one for me to go back.”
Chelsea won’t take Hull lightly
Rosenior dismissed talk of Chelsea being able to make wholesale changes against Hull despite the tight turnaround from the Leeds game.
Hull are fourth in the Championship, just five points off the promotion places, and Rosenior will not be taking anything for granted as his side aim to progress to the fifth round.
“It’s a tough game. This is going to be a difficult game. I want to do well in this competition,” Rosenior added.
“I don’t see it any different to a Premier League game or a Champions League game. We’re going there with a team that I think will be good enough to win the game.
“I want to take this game really, really seriously. We’re going to have to because they’re in good form. They’re used to winning games at the moment.”