Wesley Fofana's second-half header handed Chelsea a 1-0 victory over Leeds United in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon.
There was huge pressure on the home side to pick up a positive result, with Graham Potter's position as head coach being called into question due to the team's struggles.
Fofana's goal in the 53rd minute was enough for Chelsea to triumph, with the result moving them onto 34 points, 11 points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur in the table.
Leeds, meanwhile, sit 17th in the division courtesy of their 13th league defeat of the campaign, with the Whites one point above 18th-placed Everton.
Chelsea had a golden chance to take the lead in the 15th minute of the contest when Kai Havertz raced through on goal, but the Germany international could not beat Leeds United goalkeeper Illan Meslier.
The home side came close again in the 22nd minute, with Joao Felix hitting the post from a Raheem Sterling cross before Enzo Fernandez fired the rebound over the crossbar.
Leeds had to wait until the 31st minute to have a sight of the Chelsea goal, with a strike from Brenden Aaronson hitting Kalidou Koulibaly before landing in the arms of Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Ben Chilwell then dragged one wide down the other end in the 32nd minute, with Potter's side dominating the opening 45 minutes of the contest at Stamford Bridge.
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However, the two sides headed down the tunnel at 0-0, and there were muted boos from some of the home team's supporters at the interval.
Chelsea managed to make the breakthrough in the 53rd minute, with Fofana climbing highest inside the Leeds box to head a Chilwell corner into the back of the net.
Leeds had a half-chance of their own just before the hour when a corner was only half-cleared to Tyler Adams, but the midfielder's strike was always rising over the crossbar.
Georginio Rutter then had a strike blocked into the arms of Kepa by Koulibaly following smart work from Luke Ayling in a wide position, with the visitors responding impressively to the setback of going 1-0 down.
However, despite some late pressure, which included a header from their goalkeeper Meslier, Leeds were unable to find a leveller at Stamford Bridge.
The victory was Chelsea's first in any competition since the middle of January, and it came at the perfect time for Potter due to the ongoing speculation surrounding his future.
The Blues will now switch their attention to the Champions League, preparing to welcome Borussia Dortmund to Stamford Bridge for the second leg of their last-16 tie on Tuesday, trailing 1-0 from the first match in Germany.
Potter's side will then return to league action away to Leicester City next Saturday, while Leeds will continue their top-flight campaign at home to Brighton & Hove Albion on the same afternoon.
Matt Law
