A rare goal from one of the club’s most expensive signings helped Chelsea beat Leeds 1-0 in the English Premier League on Saturday to ease the pressure on manager Graham Potter.
Wesley Fofana headed in the young center-back’s first league goal in English football from a corner in the 53rd minute, giving Chelsea only their second win in their last 11 matches in all competitions.
Chelsea’s dreadful recent form comes despite a January market boom, which took spending over the last two transfer windows to $630 million.
Fofana was one of a number of players who joined in the past year for a reported fee of 75 million pounds ($87 million) – and his goal has repaid a substantial portion of that price.
Potter came under immense pressure but calmly celebrated the goal in his dugout. It could still save his job, especially if it gives Chelsea the confidence to recover from a 1-0 deficit to Borussia Dortmund in their round-of-20 matchup in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Scoring has been a big problem for Chelsea – Fofana’s goal was his second in seven matches – and the team again struggled in attack against Leeds, with Kai Havertz wasting one chance each and João Félix hitting the crossbar afterward. hit a shot against. first half.
The unexpected figure of Fofana came to the rescue, going in from Ben Chilwell in the left-wing corner in front of chairman Todd Bohli, the American businessman who faced Chelsea’s takeover last year.
The defeat kept Leeds in danger of relegation, with the team starting the match one point out of the bottom three.