Leeds v Chelsea – Mar 21

After back-to-back defeats, I don’t think I’m alone in thinking Saturday was a good point against Chelsea.

It was a good performance against a team who still have an outside shot of finishing second in the league, and it was another one of those that looked like marker of how far we’ve come in a short space of time.

We created some chances and we defended well throughout, particularly from set-pieces which have been our Achilles heel this season. We looked more solid at the back than we did against West Ham a few days earlier, and Diego Llorente looked much more comfortable than he had at the London Stadium.

Meslier turned in another good performance and it’s nice to see him getting some credit. You forget he’s only 21 because he has been a fixture for Leeds in the Premier League this season and it’s rare to see a young goalkeeper given the opportunity at such a young age. He’s proved that he is a good shot-stopper and his distribution is exactly what Marcelo needs with the Leeds set-up. But what I particularly like about him is that way that he has recovered from the odd set-back. He has been left exposed a few times this season and Leeds have shipped some goals in games, but for such a young player he has shown real resilience and it hasn’t affected his confidence at all. Arsenal away was a toughie for him when he got caught playing out at the back, but he’s unflappable and there’s a real maturity about him.

Raphinha is the one everyone is talking about and the one that keeps getting linked with some of the real big hitters, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see someone test Leeds’ resolve over the summer by making a bid for Meslier. He’s already playing beyond his years and he has a massive future ahead of him.