João Pedro was once again Chelsea’s best player on the pitch as Chelsea squandered a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Leeds United at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday evening.
During the first sixty minutes, Chelsea seemed on their way to an easy victory. Palmer was excellent, roaming through different areas to claim possession and continually exploiting the gaps between Leeds’ midfield and backline.
The breakthrough came from that same pocket, as Palmer drifted into space, collected the ball on the turn and slid a perfectly weighted pass to João Pedro, who subtly lifted his effort past Karl Darlow.
Just before the hour mark, Chelsea extended their lead with a calmly taken Cole Palmer penalty after Joao Pedro was brought down.
Leeds were given a route back into the match after earning a penalty themselves. Moisés Caicedo charged at Jayden Bogle as he drove into the area, and Nmecha confidently converted from 12 yards before Noah Okafor tapped into an empty net after Chelsea failed to clear their lines.
At the very end there was still a chance for Palmer to take the win, only for him to fail in his attempt with the goal wide open.
Great performance, disappointing result
While that glaring miss will dominate the discussion, João Pedro is quietly building some serious momentum after scoring six times in his previous eight games in all competitions.
Throughout the season, the Brazilian has scored 10 times in the Premier League, equaling his best result in a single season – the same figure he set for Brighton in 2024/2025.
He is now only the fourth Brazilian to score ten or more goals in consecutive Premier League seasons, after Roberto Firmino (four from 2015/16 to 2018/19), Richarlison (2018/19 and 2019/20) and Matheus Cunha (2023/24 to 2024/25).
The former Brighton striker also made an impressive seven shots in the match and had a passing accuracy of 75% from his 20 passes in the match.
Even more impressive was his constant drift to cover different positions, finishing the race with a total distance of 10.08 km.
Speaking after the match, said Liam Rosenior: “João Pedro is a top player, he always has been.” “I know how hard the club has worked to bring him to the club because he has that potential and he is showing it.”
Pedro will now hope to continue his brilliant performance when Chelsea travel to the MKM Stadium to face Hull City in the FA Cup on Friday.
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