Chelsea 3-1 Leeds: The one that saw the return of actual fans

Unbeaten in the air

It's been eight long months but Saturday night finally saw the return of fans to Stamford Bridge. It may have only been two thousand and the ticket prices were grossly inflated - do better Chelsea - but it was magic to see supporters back in the stands. It was a step in the right direction.

It wasn't just the return of fans to add a layer of narrative to Saturday's late game. It was a rivalry renewed. Chelsea's long-standing feud with Leeds was set to be re-ignited. No doubt it was one to circle in the diary the moment that Leeds finally regained promotion to the Premier League. And of course beyond the decades old rivalry, Frank Lampard and Marcelo Bielsa have added a little spice themselves after the notorious 'spygate' from last season in the Championship.

A game ripe with narrative meant that it was former Chelsea youngster Patrick Bamford who opened the scoring at Stamford Bridge. After struggling at previous clubs in the Premier League, Bielsa seems to have got the most out of him. It was his eighth goal of the season, firing him into the top five scorers in the league. Although he had more than a small helping hand from Chelsea's defence who were caught sleeping.

After his four-midable mid-week performance at Sevilla in the Champions League, Olivier Giroud was finally handed a start in the Premier League. And he repaid Frank Lampard in full for that as found the equaliser. Oli is the first player to score in six consecutive Premier League starts for Chelsea since 2001 when Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was banging them in. The Frenchman is in fine form - in as many levels as you can dream up - and should be utilised as much as his legs allow. Fixtures are coming thick and fast at the moment so the boss will need to make the best use of a deep squad.

Unfortunately in the buildup to the goal Hakim Ziyech pulled up injured. With the Moroccan going from strength to strength this season, it is an unfortunate blow. But hopefully it's minor and he'll be back in action as the festive fixtures continue. His ability to pick out a pass is the perfect foil for Olivier Giroud.

No one was catching these two

Not unexpectedly, it was a frenetic first half at the Bridge. Truly entertaining and the perfect match for the fans return. Giroud cancelled out Bamford's opener leaving it all to do in the second half.

The second half didn't start with the same bang as they first as both teams eased back into it to find their rhythms. Just over 15 minutes in Mason Mount's ball was met with a soaring Kurt Zouma. In a surprise turn, it means the defender goes joint top of the scoring charts for Chelsea in the Premier League. Pure dominance in the air this season.

Arguably it was Chelsea's final goal of the night that was most exciting. Making up for an earlier shock miss, Timo Werner turned on the afterburners to make a trademark run to slot in for Christian Pulisic's instinctual finish. A great goal from the pair of them. And a little history was made with Pulisic becoming the fastest American to score 10 goals in Premier League history. 

Job done. Chelsea back atop the Premier League - at least for the night. Expect a heavily rotated side to face Krasnodar on Tuesday night. With the Blues travelling to Merseyside to take on Carlo Ancelotti's Everton - who are desperate to prove a point after their brilliant form has fallen off a cliff.

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RESULT: Chelsea 3-1 Leeds

GOALS: Bamford 4, Giroud 27, Zouma 61, Pulisic 93

CHELSEA XI: Mendy, James, Zouma, Thiago Silva, Chilwell, Havertz (Kovacic 67), Kante, Mount, Ziyech (Pulisic 30), Werner, Giroud (Abraham 79)

STAR MAN:  Mason Mount