(Football news) Leeds United celebrated a 3-1 victory against Championship leaders Leicester City on Friday, as Chelsea lost 1-0 to Liverpool in front of Wembley.
Jurgen Klopp, Pochettino’s opposite number, had the opportunity to assemble a complete starting lineup of injured players prior to Sunday’s EFL Cup final. With the Reds’ growing absence crisis at Wembley, the opportunity for the Chelsea manager to break his trophy curse with English football was rapidly approaching.
But even as Klopp summoned the youth to bolster his battered team, Chelsea, who were essentially playing for penalties as extra time wore on, were a passive team, and it was Van Dijk’s glancing header that found its way into the bottom corner to seal the title.
The Dutchman’s contribution prolonged Pochettino’s agonising wait for a first major honour in English football, one which he could still potentially snap in the FA Cup, where Chelsea thrashed Preston North End 4-0 in round one before an impressive fourth-round replay beating of Aston Villa.
Many an eyebrow was raised as the Blues played the Lions off the park at Villa Park – a ground where Unai Emery’s men had been hitherto flawless – and Chelsea have progressed past the fifth round of the FA Cup six times in the last eight seasons, while winning 13 of their last 15 matches at this juncture.
The hosts’ playing staff and crestfallen supporters are unlikely to have fully healed from Sunday’s heartbreak by the time Leeds arrive at Stamford Bridge, where they are at risk of falling back into old habits; the Blues are winless in two straight home games after seven successive triumphs from December 3 to January 23.
In related news, Leeds won its sixth straight game in all competitions on Friday night when they played leaders Leicester City in the Championship. Under the brilliant lights of Elland Road, Farke’s team narrowed the lead over the Foxes to just six points.
Wout Faes’ header in the fifteenth minute gave Leicester a tenuous lead that they would hold onto until the last ten minutes. However, Connor Roberts, Archie Gray, and Patrick Bamford’s late concession to the Foxes saw the Whites pull off an incredible comeback.
