Leeds were hardly troubled by Chelsea on a night where every player in white put in 100%.
The effort on show from Leeds made for a relatively comfortable 3-1 win over Chelsea, a result which alleviated some of the pressure on Daniel Farke and moved his side up to 17th in the Premier League.
It could have been an even simpler night for Leeds had Darren England dismissed Estevao in the 39th minute for a swipe at Gabriel Gudmundsson.
The Brazilian was only shown a yellow card, and Mark Clattenburg has now exclusively told Leeds United News whether that was the correct call.
Mark Clattenburg says Estevao kick was “very strange” but defends Darren England
The Chelsea No.41 cut a frustrated figure on his first taste of Elland Road, struggling to get involved as Leeds stormed out of the blocks and maintained that intensity.
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Estevao eventually took his frustration out on Gudmundsson in the 39th minute, earning a yellow before Enzo Maresca withdrew him at the interval.
Discussing the kick, Clattenburg said: “Estevao makes a very strange challenge on Gabriel Gudmundsson, which one could only describe as a trip. To meet the criteria of a red card, there must be force and malice used in the challenge, and this certainly lacks this. I believe it’s more of a trip, which should result in a yellow card.”
In our view, it was borderline from the Brazil international.
The ball was nowhere near Estevao for it to be won cleanly, so he had absolutely no intention of winning possession back and just wanted to hurt Gudmundsson, it seemed.
Nevertheless, Leeds still managed to secure all three points, despite Maresca – who admitted Estevao struggled – being allowed to keep eleven players on the pitch.
Relief for Daniel Farke at Leeds United
Farke was under immense pressure heading into this week, with the Guardian claiming that losses to both Chelsea and Liverpool could see him sacked.
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However, a bold switch to a 3-5-2 formation has now had both Manchester City and Chelsea wobbling, and with Liverpool already struggling, Leeds should be confident of another victory at Elland Road this Saturday.
Even if another win does not follow this weekend, Farke has transformed the mood within the Leeds fanbase with his tactical tweak, which could well be enough to see him remain in charge.
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