Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel has insisted that his side's missed chances, rather than Leeds United's performance, was the decisive factor as his side succumbed to a 3-0 defeat in the Premier League at Elland Road.
Raheem Sterling fired wide inside the first minute and the Blues wasted several promising positions before goalkeeper Edouard Mendy was dispossessed by Brenden Aaronson close to his own goalline to gift Leeds the advantage.
The Yorkshire giants soon extended their lead through a Rodrigo Moreno header from a set piece, before Jack Harrison secured Leeds a deserved three points after the break.
Leeds outran Chelsea throughout the 90 minutes, something which was alluded to after the contest, but Tuchel feels that Chelsea wasted their opportunities to take control of the match.
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Speaking to reporters at a press conference, Tuchel said: "I think we lost it in the first 20 minutes. We created enough chances, half chances, and chances to be 1-0 or 2-0 up. Then we lost the discipline, the repetition of what we wanted to do and what we did okay in the first 20 minutes. Instead of 2-0, it became an even match and in that even match, we gave two goals away that were cheap and unnecessary.
"And then the game is almost done because you lift the spirit, the belief. In the second half, we tried, but it's the same story: we had deliveries, half chances, shots, but we can't score, and we concede from a half chance."
Mendy's mistake came at a time when the game felt very much up for grabs, and Tuchel was unable to leap to the defence of the Senegal international with it not being the first time that he has contributed to a goal being conceded through failing to deal with the ball at his feet.
The German added: "He knows himself. With these kinds of mistakes, I don't think we need to speak a lot. He knows himself that this was a mistake, and honestly, this has nothing to do with protection or no protection.
"Everybody in the world sees the mistake. It's a huge mistake at a crucial time of the match. It does not help, and he's the one that is the most disappointed because it cost us a lot today."
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Chelsea's miserable afternoon was further compounded by a needless red card for Kalidou Koulibaly, the summer arrival cynically tugging back Joe Gelhardt to receive a second yellow card during the closing stages when the game was already over as a contest.
At a time when Chelsea are already short of defenders, the Senegal international will now miss next week's fixture against Leicester City, and Tuchel has acknowledged that he was left disappointed with the incident.
Tuchel said: "It is a bit of a reflection of frustration, and it cannot happen. We cannot get frustrated in the Premier League. It is a pure joy to play games in an atmosphere like this. We should just do it and accept it. It is not okay, and it is not good."
Chelsea end the weekend sitting in 12th position in the Premier League standings, but they could drop further down the table depending on the result of Monday's fixture between Manchester United and Liverpool.
Darren Plant
