Alan Shearer says Liam Rosenior is ‘wrong’ over comments after Chelsea draw vs Leeds – here’s why
It has been a huge week for Leeds.
With a clash against Nottingham Forest at Elland Road and a trip to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea, a strong haul of points was always going to be crucial for Daniel Farke’s men.
And they certainly achieved that, as Leeds beat Forest 3-1 before securing a 2-2 draw against Chelsea.
The Whites sit 15th in the Premier League, while their gap to the relegation zone remains at six points due to results elsewhere.
Noah Okafor equalised in West London on Tuesday following a passage of play that caused quite a stir from Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior.
Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer has given his thoughts on the matter – siding with the travelling Leeds outfit.
Alan Shearer gives thoughts on Jayden Bogle incident vs Chelsea
With Lukas Nmecha halving the 2-0 deficit in the second half, Leeds were in search of an equaliser in front of their travelling contingent.
And they got that in the 73rd minute, when Okafor bundled home after some haphazard defending from the hosts.
Initially, it was Jayden Bogle who was able to prod the ball through the Chelsea backline, with the ball hitting the full-back’s arm as he ventured forward.
With the goal allowed due to the incident being accidental as a result of a deflection off his thigh, Blues boss Rosenior launched a seething rant, before Shearer took the side of Leeds on Match of the Day.
“Rosenior gets it wrong in terms of the laws of the game,” said the ex-Newcastle man.
“It wasn’t the goalscorer who handled it, and it was accidental from Bogle, but the number of chances Chelsea have got to clear it, and then it just falls on a plate for Okafor. You have got to give credit to Leeds for the way that they bounced back,” he added.
Leeds’ draw on Tuesday marks their second away point in a row, ahead of a trip to Birmingham City in the FA Cup this weekend.
Away points will make a big difference alongside remarkable Elland Road run
Sitting on 30 points with 12 matches to go, Leeds are now one of the favourites to go on and claim their place in next year’s Premier League.
This is largely down to their home form, with Leeds turning Elland Road into a fortress this term – picking up results against the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool, while they turned Crystal Palace over with a 4-1 win before Christmas.
Alongside this, they are now showing remarkable improvements away from home, having avoided defeat in five of their last six on the road.
Farke’s side are organised and hard to beat, with each player profiled correctly in the current 3-5-2 system.
Leeds travel to relegation rivals West Ham on the season’s final day, but at the current rate, they will hope to have survival comfortably wrapped up by then.