Leeds United’s loss to Chelsea in the FA Cup fifth round may have been a blessing in disguise, as they can now focus entirely on league affairs.
In the match on Wednesday night at Stamford Bridge, the Whites gave Mauricio Pochettino’s team a serious run for their money. Leeds took the lead in the eighth minute of play thanks to goals from Mateo Joseph; however, goals from Nicolas Jackson and Mykhailo Mudryk tied the score just before halftime.
However, Daniel Farke’s side did not end there. Just before the hour mark, Joseph scored once more to bring Leeds back to par. The game appeared to be going into extra time, where Chelsea’s performance in the Carabao Cup final a few days prior may have given the Whites the lead.
However, Chelsea advanced to the quarterfinals thanks to a late winner from replacement Conor Gallagher in the ninetieth minute. Leeds would have been disappointed after coming close, especially because it was their first loss in 12 games in all competitions.
The team does not have much time to reflect on the loss. Games in the Championship are happening quickly as usual, and Leeds will travel to play Huddersfield Town in the early kickoff on Saturday.
In the hours leading up to their home match against Queens Park Rangers, a victory would move Leeds to within three points of leaders Leicester. More significantly, they would be three points ahead of Ipswich in third place heading into their match against Plymouth Argyle.
Looking ahead to Leicester, the Foxes still have FA Cup issues to attend to, but Leeds now have a clear run until the end of the season. To advance to the quarterfinals, Enzo Maresca’s team defeated Premier League Bournemouth on Tuesday night in extra time.It was clear that Leeds would host Leicester in the final eight before the game even started between Leeds and Chelsea. As a result, they must now travel to Stamford Bridge.The team has a perception that they have the ability to shock the status quo and advance to the semi-final at Wembley Stadium.
The Championship match between Leicester and Southampton on March 15 has been postponed due to the quarterfinal matchup with Chelsea. The new date of the game is yet uncertain, but it will probably happen in April. However, there’s a chance it might happen in the middle of the week before Chelsea’s match.
Assuming it’s moved to April, Leeds vs Millwall will take place on the weekend of the quarterfinal. The Whites have the opportunity to put further pressure on Leicester while they are preoccupied with FA Cup issues by closing the deficit to three points if the points differential doesn’t change between now and then.
Even though Maresca has made nine changes for their match against Bournemouth thus far in the FA Cup, advancing to the latter stages and the opportunity to play at Wembley may motivate him to play at full strength against Chelsea. An additional game increases the risk of player weariness and potential injury to important players.
Although Leeds would have dearly loved to be in that stage of the competition, they will now merely be spectators. The team might have a small advantage going forward as they try to close the gap even further in the coming weeks.
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