Chelsea ease to victory over 10-man Leeds

Chelsea pushed 10-man Leeds further into the relegation mire as goals from Mason Mount, Christian Pulisic and Romelu Lukaku secured a 3-0 win for Thomas Tuchel's men at Elland Road.

Leeds needed to avoid defeat in order to move out of the drop zone but, as in their 2-1 defeat by Arsenal on Sunday, they endured a nightmare start to the game and could not recover.

Mount curled home a superb opener after only four minutes and Leeds then had Daniel James sent off midway through the first half for a reckless tackle on Mateo Kovacic, who was unable to continue.

It was deja-vu for Jesse Marsch's side, who lost Luke Ayling to a red card in similar circumstances having fallen behind at the Emirates Stadium, and their misery was compounded by precise finishes from Pulisic and Lukaku after the break as Chelsea strengthened their grip on third place and warmed up for Saturday's FA Cup final against Liverpool in style.

Leeds, meanwhile, also lost Jack Harrison to injury and must now prepare for their remaining Premier League games, against Brighton and Brentford, without the suspended James as well as Ayling.

Elland Road was a cauldron of noise as the players emerged from the tunnel ahead of kick-off but the home supporters were swiftly silenced when Mount beat Illan Meslier with a brilliant, first-time finish following a slick Chelsea move.

It was a familiar feeling for Leeds following Eddie Nketiah's instant opener at the Emirates on Sunday and their evening went from bad to worse when James lunged in on Kovacic in midfield, prompting referee Anthony Taylor to immediately brandish the red card.

Leeds protested the decision, arguing James had won the ball, but the winger's challenge was dangerous, his studs landing on Kovacic's