Chelsea's draw with Leeds 'bitter pill' for Rosenior

Liam Rosenior described Chelsea's inability to maintain composure when under pressure as a "bitter pill" after they squandered a two goal lead in their 2-2 stalemate against Leeds on Tuesday.

Rosenior's team appeared set for a fifth straight Premier League win following Joao Pedro's initial strike and Cole Palmer's spot kick.

However Chelsea unravelled late on at Stamford Bridge as Lukas Nmecha converted from the penalty spot to pull one back for Leeds before Noah Okafor slotted home the leveller.

The drop to fifth place for the Blues meant they missed out on overtaking Manchester United in fourth with Rosenior lamenting their sloppy backline play.

"Two crucial instances in the match that we failed to handle properly. We lost our cool. The sequence leading to it involved several bad choices in our pressing which resulted in conceding a penalty," he explained.

"I cannot recall Leeds registering a single effort or chance. Elements of our ball retention our pressing intensity and our vigour were precisely what I hoped for.

"This renders the failure to secure the victory even tougher to accept."

The visitors' levelling goal stemmed equally from Jayden Bogle's determination in overpowering Chelsea's rearguard and the hosts' own reluctance to neutralise the threat although Rosenior felt his side merited a free kick.

"The player handles the ball," he noted. "It impacts my team right then. They assume it's a handball they lose focus we fail to clear and they net. Followed by 25 minutes of relentless pressure."

Rosenior has enjoyed a promising beginning to his tenure having joined from Strasbourg to succeed Enzo Maresca back in January.

Yet coupled with their League Cup semi final defeat to Arsenal this incident highlights areas the ex Hull manager must address.

"We need to ensure we manage critical phases professionally," Rosenior stated. 

"It's not merely about bouncing back from difficulties. Every match will feature periods when you're not dominating. 

"The absurd part for us is they netted twice within five minutes despite us dominating the remaining 90."