Daniel Farke unlocks secret weapon as Match of the Day pundit stunned by ‘unbelievable’ Leeds moment vs Chelsea
Daniel Farke eased some of the pressure on his future after ending Leeds United’s four-match unbeaten run.
A four-goal thriller played out at Elland Road on Wednesday night as Leeds secured a 3-1 win over Chelsea, thanks to goals from Jaka Bijol, Ao Tanaka and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Farke’s change to a two-man striker formation worked a treat as the Whites climbed out of the relegation zone by three points, with West Ham needing to beat Manchester United by two goals or more to leapfrog them.
Calvert-Lewin impressed for Leeds against Chelsea, scoring his second goal in as many games, while the hosts were solid defensively.
Shay Given praises Jaka Bijol’s goal for Leeds vs Chelsea
On a night when Leeds anticipated the Blues to put them under immense pressure, Farke’s men held firm and offered a threat at the other end of the pitch.
The West Yorkshire outfit were too strong, quick and powerful for the visitors to handle, winning every second ball and causing danger from set-pieces.
Bijol opened the scoring for his side with a bullet header past Robert Sanchez in the sixth minute, and speaking live on Match of the Day, Shay Given praised the Slovenian for leaping highest and powering his header home.
“Chelsea didn’t help themselves, we’ll look at the first goal. This is purely from a set play, and I think defensively Chelsea all over the place,” Given said.
“But again, give Leeds credit. It’s a brilliant ball from [Anton] Stach, and look at [Jaka] Bijol, the spring and the leap, and the hang time here Gabby [Logan] is absolutely unbelievable.”
The former Newcastle United goalkeeper was joined in his appreciation of the defender by Gary Neville, who nailed Bijol’s aerial dominance throughout the night.
Bijol’s stats vs Chelsea
Bijol joined Leeds from Udinese in the summer, and the 26-year-old has had to be patient for game time, with Farke typically utilising Rodon and Pascal Strujik as his defensive duo.
However, with the German tactician switching to a back three, Bijol earned a chance to appear for the fifth time in the Premier League.
| Jaka Bijol’s stats vs Chelsea |
| 90 minutes played |
| 24/29 passes completed (83%) |
| 2/3 tackles won |
| 9 clearances |
| 6 ball recoveries |
| 5/7 ground duels won |
Not only did he impress with his headed goal, but he was also a towering presence defensively, winning five of his seven ground duels while making nine clearances and six recoveries.
Bijol will now want to produce a similar performance when Leeds host Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday evening.
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