Chelsea earned a much-needed Premier League victory on Saturday with a 1-0 win over Leeds. The three points leave the Blues 10th in the table but eases the pressure on Graham Potter.
The Blues boss has faced increased pressure from supporters after a torrid run continued last week against Tottenham. However, the recent win eases some of the scrutiny over his position at Stamford Bridge ahead of a must-win Champions League tie with Borussia Dortmund.
Wesley Fofana netted his first Premier League goal since completing his £75million summer move from Leicester City with a neat header past Illan Meslier. The goal is the first Chelsea scored since the middle of February and only their third in the previous eight.
READ MORE: Chelsea's next five Premier League fixtures compared to Liverpool, Man Utd, Spurs and Newcastle
Here's how the national media reacted to the win over Leeds.
The Guardian
Jacob Steinberg writes: "Up in the directors’ box, Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali were deep in conversation. Chelsea’s co-owners had witnessed a rare thing: a goal, a win, hints of a tactical plan. It so easily could have gone in a different direction. Chelsea were a bag of nerves during the dying stages and although they were in no position to turn down three precious points it is doubtful whether an energetic but flawed victory over struggling opposition will be enough to silence Graham Potter’s naysayers.
"Unfortunately for Potter, his critics will be waiting to see whether his side can salvage their Champions League campaign when they host Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday. This triumph, Chelsea’s third in 16 games, was far from complete. There was the usual edginess in attack before the winner arrived from a set-piece, Wesley Fofana heading home, and there was even some dissatisfaction in the stands late on, the crowd howling when a counterattack ended with their team playing it safe instead of trying to kill Leeds off with a second goal.
"Caution was the way forward by that stage. Potter made defensive substitutions midway through the second half, inviting Leeds on, and Chelsea almost blew it. Not for nothing did Javi Gracia bemoan his team’s lack of luck. Luke Ayling flicked a header against the woodwork in the 90th minute and Leeds, a point above the bottom three, were entitled to feel they deserved a draw."
The Telegraph
Sam Wallace writes: "This was Potter’s first win in six Premier League games, and only his third in the 16 that have come since his appointment. Yet it did not look like a template for his future Chelsea, if indeed there is to be a future. As the pressure built in the closing stages there were sections of the home support at Stamford Bridge who were dismayed by the cautiousness of a Chelsea team that settled into five at the back.
"There is some breathing space at last, or at least 72 hours. Come Tuesday night, back at Stamford Bridge, there will be Champions League round of 16 second leg against a Borussia Dortmund side one goal up from the first leg and riding the crest of a wave. Their win over RB Leipzig on Friday night was their tenth in a row in all competitions. That game could be one of the classic European nights at 21st century Chelsea or it could be one of the worse.
"Either way it will require the kind of ambition that Chelsea showed in the first half and then relinquished as the clock ran down. They were reshaped by Potter’s substitutions which were defensive to say the least and invited the pressure that ensued. A counterattack that petered out in the teeth of a general mood of cautiousness in the 75th minute was met with exasperated cries of encouragement from home fans to attack nonetheless.
“Frightened” was how Javi Gracia described the Chelsea mood in those closing stages, before correcting himself when he saw the amused reaction in the press room. Potter had taken off Joao Felix and Raheem Sterling on 68 minutes, with Conor Gallagher and Dennis Zakaria on in their place. Mateo Kovacic, back from injury, was replaced with Carney Chukwuemeka and Noni Madueke came on for Enzo Fernandez, Whatever the intention it was notable that Chelsea did fall back."
The Mirror
Tom Hopkinson writes: "Graham Potter is on the brink at Chelsea all right. But, on this evidence at least, it’s on the brink of having a very good side.
"Yes, this was ‘only’ Leeds and they have been having as dismal a season as Chelsea in their own way. And no one is forgetting any of the dreadful results that have littered the Blues’ recent history.
"But while this wasn’t a perfect performance - at times it was downright nervy for everyone associated with Chelsea - there were too many green shoots about it for anyone to ignore. So many, in fact, that only the most anti-Potter of home fans will have left Stamford Bridge feeling that all hope is lost until there’s a change in the managerial hot seat.
"And if the beleaguered boss and his men can find a way - any way - to get a result against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Tuesday then maybe, just maybe, Potter will finally have a platform on which to build his reign.
"Joao Felix, who was a pleasure to watch again in the first half, had revealed ‘something different’ was coming pre-match and that transpired to be a switch to three at the back, which felt significant. Chelsea fans will remember Antonio Conte doing the same after back-to-back defeats by Liverpool and Arsenal in 2016-17, a decision which sparked their run to the title."
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