Leeds United are now turning their focus to Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea, following a 2-2 draw at Bournemouth on Wednesday night.
Sean Longstaff’s stoppage-time equaliser salvaged a point and pushed Leeds onto the 40-point mark, the unofficial benchmark for Premier League safety.
They’re not technically safe yet, but it would take a remarkable collapse from here for the Whites to go down. With that in mind, attention is already shifting to the semi-final this weekend.
Chelsea have added an extra twist to the occasion by sacking Liam Rosenior earlier in the day, bringing even more drama to the Wembley showdown. However, that has changed Jason Cundy’s outlook for the game.
Jason Cundy is now more hopeful about Chelsea against Leeds
Chelsea are in dreadful form right now, having lost their last five Premier League matches without finding the net, their worst run in more than 114 years.
Jason Cundy was fuming on Tuesday night after the defeat at Brighton and predicted Leeds to beat Chelsea at Wembley on Sunday.
However, the former Blue is a little more hopeful following Rosenior’s sacking on Wednesday and insists Chelsea’s season now hinges on winning the FA Cup.
He stressed that Leeds are still going to be a tough game, but he is a bit more optimistic about Sunday afternoon than he was 24 hours back.
Cundy said on talkSPORT: “I’m going into the game against Leeds now, I know I said to you last night that I had no belief that we could beat Leeds at the weekend.
“I actually feel a little bit more hopeful now the manager has gone, and he had to go because the results have not been acceptable.
“Our season now hinges on this game on Sunday; we have to get Leeds out of the way.
“I thought Leeds did well tonight to get a 2-2 draw, going behind twice and ending up with a point.
“That probably gives them Premier League status next season, and after what we saw from Chelsea last night and what we saw from Leeds tonight, this is going to be a tough game.
“I feel a bit more assured that I’m not going to see what I saw last night. We haven’t scored a goal in eight hours, so it has to be better.”
Leeds have never made it easy for Chelsea
Chelsea haven’t had it easy against Leeds this season; they were beaten 3-1 at Elland Road late last year and then held to a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge in February.
Leeds, for their part, have taken full advantage, picking up four points from a possible six against one of their long-standing rivals.
That said, a semi-final at Wembley is a completely different kind of challenge, and Chelsea could still hold the edge when it comes to players used to dealing with big, high-pressure moments.
Even so, those previous meetings will be at the back of everyone’s mind. Leeds will go into this one confident they can get the better of a Chelsea side that’s currently struggling for form, confidence and fitness.
Right now, somewhat surprisingly, Leeds head into the FA Cup clash as favourites to come out on top.
