Chelsea saw their top-four push stunted after Leeds United fought back from two goals down to salvage a stunning 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge.
Missing Pascal Struijk and Dominic Calvert-Lewin through injury and illness, respectively, Leeds seemed to be facing an uphill battle when Cole Palmer brilliantly teed up Joao Pedro’s 24th-minute opener.
Palmer then converted his second-half penalty after Jaka Bijol’s shove on Joao Pedro, but Leeds hit back through their own spot-kick from Lukas Nmecha after Moises Caicedo felled Jayden Bogle.
Substitute Noah Okafor levelled with 17 minutes remaining, capitalising on a mix-up in Chelsea’s defence, before Palmer missed a glorious stoppage-time opportunity by failing to tap into an open goal.
The draw sees Chelsea – who had won their last four Premier League games – fail to add pressure on Manchester United in the top-four battle, while Leeds climbed above Tottenham Hotspur to move into 15th spot.
How the match unfolded
Leeds were caught off-guard early on when Palmer dropped into a pocket of space and threaded through for Joao Pedro, who lifted over Karl Darlow with a cool left-footed chip.
Estevao arrowed narrowly wide early in the second half before Bijol inexplicably pushed over Joao Pedro, with Palmer slamming his 58th-minute penalty into the bottom-right corner.
But Nmecha thumped his own penalty past Robert Sanchez nine minutes later after Caicedo’s ill-timed tackle on Bogle, who then played a significant role in the leveller.
Sanchez failed to claim a loose ball after Bogle’s charge into the area before Nmecha’s touch fell for Okafor to convert into an empty net, with the goal standing after a VAR check for handball in the build-up against the Leeds wing-back.
Chelsea should still have snatched all three points back at the death – Joao Pedro heading just off target before Palmer somehow spooned over an open goal from Caicedo’s right-sided delivery.
Chelsea miss huge opportunity
A pair of penalties and a thunderous finish saw Palmer net a first-half treble last time out in Chelsea's 3-1 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers, but he could not have imagined the mixture of emotions that would follow here.
Having been denied by Ilia Gruev in front of goal, Palmer soon snuck into space from Andrey Santos’ offload before releasing Joao Pedro for his 10th league goal this season.
Another intricate Palmer pass teed up Estevao to drill just wide, before the England star sent Darlow the wrong way from the penalty spot for his eighth top-flight goal in 2025/26.
So prolific from 12 yards, Palmer was even cautioned for delaying Nmecha’s spot-kick when trying to advise Sanchez, before Chelsea’s defensive frailties were badly exposed by Okafor’s leveller.
But having seen Joao Pedro nod over and Pedro Neto’s cross almost sneak in, Palmer will know he should have settled the contest. A stretching leg sent a fizzing Caicedo cross over in the fourth minute of stoppage time, offering Leeds a huge escape.
Liam Rosenior will hope for a response from his players when visiting former side Hull City in Friday’s FA Cup fourth-round tie, before hosting struggling Burnley as Chelsea look to reignite their top-four charge.
No Calvert-Lewin, no problem
A trip to in-form Chelsea was always going to prove difficult, and Daniel Farke may have been concerned about how much Leeds struggled without leading scorer Calvert-Lewin in the first half.
The Leeds striker has found the net 10 times this Premier League campaign, but his ability to lead the line and trouble defenders has proved just as important in creating room for his team-mates.
With Brenden Aaronson as the only other clear attacking option behind Nmecha, the visitors managed just one shot in the opening 45 minutes.
Farke rolled the dice by replacing defender Sebastiaan Bornauw with Okafor in an attacking switch, but Bijol’s clumsy push on Joao Pedro followed just minutes after that change.
Yet that mistake seemed to breathe life into Leeds’ ambitions, with Bogle flying through and forcing Caicedo’s late challenge for Nmecha’s penalty, before the wing-back repeated the dose by bulldozing his way into the area for the equaliser.
Although Okafor’s simple tap-in may have come in fortuitous fashion, a remarkable point at Chelsea will give Farke hope his side can still match any team without Calvert-Lewin.
🎯 “Tucked in by Okafor!” pic.twitter.com/8mjLuax9Q3
— Leeds United (@LUFC) February 11, 2026
A trip to Birmingham City in the fourth round of the FA Cup now provides Farke with the chance to rotate, before travelling to Aston Villa and hosting title-chasing Manchester City.
Club reports
What the managers said
Liam Rosenior: “Some of our football, in possession, our press, our energy, was everything I wanted to see and that makes it even more of a bitter pill to swallow that we haven't won the game.
“The ridiculous thing for us is that they've managed to score two goals in a five-minute period, when for the other 90 minutes of the game, we were by far the better team.”
Daniel Farke: "A proper night of football. Of course it was a great night. I'm very proud. It was such a fight back and difficult game. Chelsea have been in red hot form. We came here to play in a game with several key players out.
"The backbone of the team was missing. Some players in the starting line-up after injury. And of course the quality of Chelsea. When you're 2-0 down it can be a long night, but our players have a never-say-die attitude.
"Of course we had a little bit of luck, but it's a deserved point because we fought so hard. We earned a great point!"
Next PL fixtures
Key facts
No team has conceded more goals to opposition substitutes in the Premier League this season than Chelsea (eight).
Leeds have avoided defeat home and away in a Premier League season (W1 D1) against Chelsea for the first time since 2000/01.
Of all players to score 40+ Premier League goals, only Mark Noble (60 per cent - 28/47) and Mikel Arteta (41 per cent - 17/41) have scored a higher share from the spot than Chelsea’s Palmer (40 per cent - 18/45).
Leeds avoided defeat having been two goals behind in a Premier League away game for the first time since March 2022 (won 3-2 against Wolverhampton Wanderers), while Chelsea last failed to win from two goals ahead in the competition in October 2023 (2-2 against Arsenal).