Mason Mount produced an excellent performance at Elland Road last night as Chelsea secured a comfortable 3-0 Premier League win over Leeds United.
The England international was reinstated into the starting line-up yesterday, having been an unused substitute for the 2-2 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers at the weekend.
He made an instant impact by opening the scoring in the fourth minute. Mount curled his effort into the top right corner of Illan Meslier’s net from a Reece James assist.
Midway through the first half, Chelsea were handed a big advantage with Leeds going down to 10 men, but they still needed to get the job done after recent disappointments.
Mount turned provider in the 55th minute for Christian Pulisic, who had the time and space to place his left-footed shot into the bottom left corner with Meslier rooted to his spot.
Seven minutes from time, Romelu Lukaku made it 3-0 for the Blues. It was a convincing display from the west London giants, who are now on the cusp of Champions League qualification.
They have a four-point lead over fourth-placed Arsenal and are eight clear of Tottenham. If Spurs drop points against Arsenal tonight, the Blues are assured of Champions League football.
Meanwhile, Mount had a stellar game last night with a goal and an assist. Aside from his goal contributions, he managed 84 touches, winning six duels and three take-ons in the process.
The Blues graduate has had a superb season. Following yesterday’s goal involvements, he has now registered 13 goals and 16 assists from 51 appearances across all competitions.
Chelsea had been missing the creativity of Eden Hazard in recent seasons, but appear to have found the ideal solution in the form of Mount with 29 goal contributions this term.
The 23-year-old has been the subject of criticism from few supporters for his inconsistency, but he should only get better with the prime years of his playing career ahead of him.
Chelsea are on the cusp of a takeover from Todd Boehly’s consortium. Their prime priority should be to finalise new deals for Mount and James, who have stood out this season.
