'Wow' - Leeds United fans will love Gary Neville's 'incredible' claim

Leeds United produced a night to remember when they claimed a fully deserved 3-1 home win against Premier League rivals Chelsea.

With Elland Road looking resplendent under the floodlights, Daniel Farke’s side were able to build on the positives provided by their second-half display in Saturday’s heartbreaking late defeat at Manchester City and secure arguably their most impressive win of the season to see off the Blues.

With a performance full of energy, intensity and quality, the Whites boosted their bid to avoid relegation from the Premier League as goals from Jaka Bijol, Ao Tanaka and Dominic Calvert-Lewin gave them a 3-1 win on their home patch and temporarily moved them three points clear of the drop zone. That advantage was cut to two points on Thursday night when West Ham United secured a late draw at Manchester United - but there is still plenty of momentum behind the Whites as they prepare for Saturday evening’s home clash with Liverpool.

There is a fresh feel around Farke’s squad after a busy summer transfer window - and one of the Whites’ close-season additions caught the eye of one former Premier League star during the midweek win against Chelsea.

Speaking on Sky Sports, the former Manchester United and England full-back said: “Wow, what a player this (Gabriel) Gudmundsson is. The energy levels to get up and down the pitch are incredible. He’s got some legs on him – the energy up and down all through the game. Chelsea have just not been able to match this.”

Tone

One of the features of an impressive Whites win was their ability to make the most of set-pieces and impose their physicality on their visitors. The tone was set inside the opening ten minutes when summer signing Bijol rose highest to meet a corner-kick from the left before sending an unstoppable header beyond Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.

The intensity continued throughout the game as forward duo Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha led from the front to provide an uncomfortable night for Enzo Maresca’s side. Neville believes that physical approach meant the Blues were ‘blown away’ by Farke’s men with a little help from the Elland Road faithful.

He said: “Every time he comes up, Bijol, he looks like a threat. Even before his goal, he got on the end of two other crosses. They don’t know how to handle him. The two lads up front, Nmecha and Calvert-Lewin, have bullied Chelsea all game. Then you’ve had Bijol coming from the back, and Chelsea looked scared of him.

“The physicality of Leeds all game, Chelsea have been nowhere near it. They have not shown Elland Road the respect it deserves. When you come here, you have to expect this. Chelsea have been beaten up all game. They have been blown away here at Elland Road by the Leeds players and the crowd.”

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