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Olivier Giroud, Kurt Zouma and Christian Pulisic sent Chelsea to the top of the Premier League when the Blues gave Frank Lampard a 3-1 victory over Leeds and longtime rival Marcelo Bielsa.
Giroud scored his fifth goal of the week by fully vindicating boss Lampard and giving France’s hitman his first league start of the campaign.
Zouma then headed home from Mason Mount’s corner as the Blues battled former Chelsea striker Patrick Bamford in Leeds’s opener.
Upon death, Pulisic delivered a low cross from Timo Werner to seal another good result for the Blues.
Full match details
Bamford’s eighth goal in the league in 11 games made Chelsea, in front of 2,000 returning fans at Stamford Bridge, sweat, but, skillfully led by the relentless N’Golo Kante, the home side achieved an enormously impressive victory.
Giroud scored all four goals in Wednesday’s 4-0 Champions League game in Seville, and the 34-year-old stepped up to start against Leeds.
The French forward should have had two goals here too, as Werner somehow managed to keep Giroud’s header off the net with not one but two hairs, from a mere yard.
This was the first meeting of rival coaches Lampard and Bielsa since the spygate dramas of the 2018/19 campaign, when rancor and recrimination dominated the clashes between Derby and Leeds.
Lampard’s Derby was last laughed at in that season’s play-offs, as the former England midfielder edged out Bielsa, his Leeds counterpart.
Chelsea’s only frustrations amid a hard-fought victory were Werner’s tryouts in front of goal and a possible hamstring injury to influential playmaker Hakim Ziyech.
The Blues extended their unbeaten Premier League streak to nine games, having last tasted defeat to Liverpool on 20 September.
Thiago Silva’s flush ball sent Ziyech through early on, but the Moroccan star couldn’t beat Illan Meslier.
However, Chelsea’s promising start evaporated into the frigid autumn air as a mix-up between Zouma and Edouard Mendy allowed Bamford to sneak in to play at home.
Giroud nearly leveled with a good header from the corner of Mount’s near post, only to have teammate Werner unknowingly thwart him.
German striker Werner held on to the header goal with the intention of claiming the end for himself, only to hit the ball in midair.
The £ 53 million summer firm held on to the loose ball, but even on the second attempt he was only able to hit the crossbar at point blank range.
Bamford fired from a cute cutout as Leeds continued to threaten, before Ezgjan Alioski struck the wood with a scratchy shot.
However, his attack would never have counted, with Luke Ayling offside in preparation.
Giroud regained possession high up the field only to drag his shot away as Chelsea struggled for a foothold.
And when a breakthrough finally came, it just had to be the man of the moment who would make it.
Ziyech came in and sent Reece James running down the right flank, and the low center of the England star begged him to turn towards goal.
Giroud answered that call, throwing himself into the net to drag the Blues level, just before half an hour.
The remainder of the half turned out to be a cautious affair, marked most notably by Kante’s stealthy advance toward a position of midfield dominance.
Leeds had tried to pass the French World Cup winner out of the match and succeeded during the first quarter, only for Kante to adjust his position and start cleaning in typical fashion.
The teams reached the break with the score 1-1 intact, before Chelsea opened the second half in a bullish mood.
Kai Havertz nodded well away from James’ mocking free kick, before Meslier denied Werner twice in the same attack and Mount’s effort swerved back for a corner.
However, any Chelsea frustration was relieved immediately, as Mount left his set piece at a plate for Zouma to fire a header.
Chelsea closed the deal after taking the lead, with Mateo Kovacic replacing Havertz to add bite to midfield.
And just when all seemed said and done, Werner finally added a telling contribution, placing Pulisic in third at the break.
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