Some Chelsea fans join Leeds supporters in lauding Whites' U23 starlet

By Jordan Harris

A number of Leeds United and Chelsea fans have taken to Twitter to praise Lewis Bate after his performance for the Whites’ under-23s in their defeat to the Blues on Friday.

Mark Jackson’s side were beaten 3-1 at Thorp Arch. They were punished for some questionable defending. Meanwhile, the visitors’ third goal came after what appeared to be a bizarre penalty decision from the referee.

That decision was all the more frustrating for Leeds as they had produced a very impressive second-half showing in pursuit of an equaliser.

A number of players did manage to impress for Leeds despite the defeat. Leo Hjelde was excellent at left-back. Max Dean was as tenacious as ever. And Joe Gelhardt got some minutes after his recent injury.

But perhaps Bate was the Whites’ best performer on a day that he came up against his former club.

Despite being identified as one of Leeds’ key men, Bate managed to dictate a lot of the play. Whenever he got the ball, he looked to make things happen with his ambitious passing.

‘First-team soon’: Leeds and Chelsea fans praise Lewis Bate

It was a further reminder that Bate breaking into the first-team at Elland Road seems so inevitable. Of course, he was on the bench for Marcelo Bielsa’s side before the international break.

Plenty of supporters have lauded Bate following his latest display. And interestingly, there was also some praise from a couple of Chelsea fans who watched Friday’s game.

With that in mind, here is what some of the fans of both clubs were saying about Bate after the clash…