Chelsea 1-0 Leeds: Wesley Fofana wins it for Chelsea to hand Graham Potter a much-needed victory

GRAHAM POTTER, for weeks, must have felt as if he were suffocating. There’s finally some breathing room.

Not much, mind you. If he falls out of the Champions League against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday, the Chelsea head coach will feel like he’s being strangled again.

Such is Potter’s life at the moment. The next problem may only be a matter of days.

But, at least for now, the pressure on the coach has eased.

The decisive moment here came eight minutes into the second half, Wesley Fofana leaping higher before nodding Chelsea to this crucial victory.

For the club’s co-owner, Todd Boehly, there would have been a sense of vindication.

The American tycoon has been one of Potter’s most vociferous supporters behind the scenes in recent weeks.

With others, including fans, questioning the point of keeping faith with a manager who had led the team to just two wins in 15 games prior to this victory, Boehly has held his ground in Potter’s corner.

This won’t make up for Boehly’s endorsement, but it’s a start. In fact, it was hard not to feel a similar sense of relief for Potter.

Impartiality aside, the 52-year-old has carried himself with immense dignity when his world seemed to be collapsing. He deserves this respite, even if it’s temporary. Chelsea’s performance in the first half was assertive and threatening. Three decent chances, but Kai Havertz, Joao Felix and Ben Chilwell, who was terrific all afternoon, blew them all.

Felix’s effort in the 22nd minute that crashed into the bottom of the bar was particularly striking.

Raheem Sterling, on the right for Chelsea, appeared to be slowly regaining his form after injury.

The English winger’s future has been in question in recent days, but if Potter is to transform Chelsea’s season, then Sterling will surely be central to his plans.

He was powerful here in the first half, taking advantage of opportunities for Havertz and Felix.

Enzo Fernández also turned heads, his mix of relentless work-rate and amazing technical ability will be a hallmark of Chelsea for years to come, regardless of who is in charge.

But that’s just not enough for Chelsea and Potter right now. Goals and victories are what it takes.

If Jack Harrison had mustered more power in his effort at the stroke of halftime, then you wonder how the home fans would have reacted.

Chelsea fans are spinning; and that is saying it politely. They resisted the urge to vent their frustration when the halftime whistle blew.

However, there was a palpable sense of what was to come if Leeds took the lead. It wouldn’t have been pretty for Potter.

As for Leeds, they were organized and compact. Newly appointed manager Javi Gracia wore a pained expression for most of the half. But his team was dogged and diligent, just like Gracia’s Watford team.

If they can replicate this attitude from now on, they should stay below the Spanish.

The second half started much the same as the first, with Chelsea on the rise, Sterling stretched out to fire Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s slice over the crossbar.

Finally, in the 53rd minute, Chelsea scored the goal their performance deserved. Fofana got past Max Wober to powerfully head the Chilwell corner past Illan Meslier.

The France defender ran off before launching another jumper, this time with a clenched fist as he celebrated his first Premier League goal for Chelsea.

Potter’s reaction was similar, of course. Finally, a hint of a smile. Finally, some hope.

Who knows, if Fofana had been fit and available for most of the season, Chelsea might not be in this position.

The central defender arrived from Leicester in a £70m deal with much anticipation. But a serious knee injury meant this was only the third start for him in the top flight.

However, as Potter is discovering, things are rarely smooth sailing for Chelsea this season. The Blues were indebted to Kalidou Koulibaly’s block on 60 minutes before Weston McKennie headed just wide as Leeds pressed for an equaliser.

At this point, Potter had sacrificed Sterling for the defensive-minded Dennis Zakaria, while workaholic Conor Gallagher replaced Felix as the Blues boss opted for work-rate over finesse.

Rather than look for a second goal to kill Leeds, the game plan from here was clear.

The anxiety around Stamford Bridge was tangible as Leeds sensed Chelsea were caving under the pressure and dropped caution.

Luke Ayling came close with a header at the back post before substitute Mateo Joseph saw his effort into stoppage time from Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Incredibly, Meslier, who burst onto the field for a last-gasp corner, squandered Leeds’ last chance, his header going straight into the hands of a grateful Arrizabalaga.

The final whistle was greeted with a collective sigh of relief from the Chelsea supporters.

Buckle up though, we can do it all over again on Tuesday night, where defeat would leave Potter gasping for air again.

Relive all the action from Stamford Bridge with the Sportsmail live blog here.