Leeds United’s EFL Cup campaign came to a painful end on Wednesday night as they surrendered a two-goal advantage before Chelsea ran riot in the second half to secure a 6-3 victory at Stamford Bridge.
The Whites looked firmly in control after racing into a 2-0 lead, but everything fell apart after the break. Chelsea struck six times to turn the game on its head, ending Leeds’ hopes of reaching the fourth round in the process.
Michael Zetterer endured a miserable first outing in a Leeds shirt and will face plenty of criticism after his debut between the posts. Barring an injury to James Trafford, it could now be some time before the German gets another opportunity.
Daniel Farke will also have plenty to ponder, with the performance raising questions over both the quality of his deputy goalkeeper and the defending in front of him.
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Pedro Neto makes an honest admission about Leeds
The Chelsea winger scored one of the six goals tonight, but he has insisted that Leeds did test them at Stamford Bridge despite how the scoreline looks.
He conceded that it was a crazy game and in the second half Chelsea needed to shift their mentality as Leeds United’s physicality was becoming a problem and they were causing trouble.
However, the winger believes Chelsea’s ability to keep calm and play their game ultimately got them through to the next round of the EFL Cup.
Neto told Sky Sports: “It was a bit crazy. I don’t know what to say. We don’t like to concede so many goals. We like to score more goals.
“The manager asked for fresh legs, a fresh mentality.
“They caused a lot of trouble because they are very physical. It was a good test for us; we kept calm.”
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Leeds will be concerned about Michael Zetterer
Zetterer joined Leeds on a permanent three-year contract from Eintracht Frankfurt towards the end of the summer transfer window.
However, his debut tonight is evidence that he is unlikely to ever push James Trafford in any meaningful way for a place in the team.
It is hard to see Farke risking him in a Premier League game ever unless Trafford is injured, as he looked shocking at Stamford Bridge.
Zetterer may not get another chance to play until Leeds play in the FA Cup in January.
