Kalvin Phillips makes Chelsea admission as Leeds United midfielder picks out 'unbelievable' key Blues man

Chelsea and the 'unbelievable' N'Golo Kante gave Kalvin Phillips and Leeds United their toughest Premier League test to date.

The 25-year-old midfielder has admitted that his side's defeat at Stamford Bridge last weekend was a test he and his team-mates needed against the highest of calibre opposition.

Marcelo Bielsa's outfit fell to a 3-1 defeat in the capital but have swiftly turned their attention to Friday night's top flight clash with West Ham United at Elland Road.

The visiting Hammers have made an impressive start to the campaign, winning five out of their opening 11 matches.

David Moyes' men will offer a different kind of examination to the one the Whites' faced at their West London rivals on Saturday evening.

Phillips, though, has been honest in his assessment of the defeat to Frank Lampard's men, saying that the Blues were simply the better team on the night.

"I think so," he told BBC West Yorkshire Sport over Chelsea being the toughest opposition Leeds have faced this term.

"I think as a team they were very good. They've got very good individuals as well, which I think helped them take control of the game in the second half.

"When you think about it, we started well and we had a lot of chances. In the second half they kind of took control of the game.

"I think [N'Golo] Kante was unbelievable. He was everywhere. He didn't look like he had broken a sweat.

"When you see things like that when you're running around and tired and Kante is jogging around as if it is nothing... it doesn't demoralise you, but you know it's going to be tough.

"We didn't play well in the second half but I think that was overshadowed by how well Chelsea played.

"We always knew it was going to be a tough game. We knew that they weren't going to let us go to Stamford Bridge and beat them. We knew it would be hard. We just maybe didn't realise how good individually some players were.

"Kante was unbelievable. Mason Mount was unbelievable - I've said that ever since I trained with him [at England] and ever since I played against him at Derby.

"It wasn't us being taken by surprise but stuff didn't go right for us. They pressed well and shadowed me out of the game. It was tough to get involved."

Asked what he had learned from opposite defensive midfielder Kante, he said: "To be honest I couldn't tell you! It's hard to say a player is that good and that fit - he was everywhere.

"Any second ball that dropped he was there. Any 50-50 he was there. He was at the right place at the right time every single time.

"It's very hard for teams like Chelsea to lose with the individuals that they have. I think without Kante they aren't the same team.

"It's the calibre of players that they have. It tested us and I think we needed that. It was disappointing to not come away with anything from the game but we can take positives."