Chelsea took on Leicester City at Stamford Bridge yesterday afternoon looking to close the gap to Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table. The Pensioners began the match on the front foot but failed to make a breakthrough in the first half. However, Eden Hazard came close to scoring with his strike, but the ball hit the bar and went out, much to the dislike of the home supporters.
The Foxes grew in confidence as the match went on and took a surprise lead in the 51st minute when Jamie Vardy scored with a powerful finish. Claude Puel’s men defended valiantly to hang on to their narrow one-goal advantage on their way to claiming maximum points from this contest. The match ended 1-0 in favour of the away side with the Pensioners left scratching their heads.
Let’s take a look at how each Chelsea player performed during the match against the Foxes.
GK: Kepa Arrizabalaga – 6/10
The Spaniard pulled off a brilliant save but was largely untroubled during the match. He couldn’t do much about Jamie Vardy’s powerful strike early in the second half which ultimately made the difference on the day.
RB: César Azpilicueta – 6.5/10
The Spanish full-back was a good outlet for the Pensioners down the right flank. He looked solid defensively as well which justifies his place in Sarri’s first-team.
CB: Antonio Rüdiger – 5/10
The German defender had an off-day in a Chelsea shirt. He was exposed by Maddison’s trickery and Vardy’s pace in the lead up to the Leicester goal which ended up costing his team the points at Stamford Bridge.
CB: David Luiz – 6/10
The Brazilian centre-back distributed the ball well in the first half. However, he had a lot of problems coping with Vardy’s pace and was at fault for allowing the English striker to get a shot in which turned out to be the only goal of the game.
LB: Marcos Alonso – 3/10
The Spaniard looked like a shadow of his former self. He ignored his defensive duties and was caught ball-watching on quite a few occasions during the match. His impact on the game faded as the game went on. However, he did get a golden chance to rescue a point for Chelsea but unfortunately, he hit the bar with his attempt which summed up his day for Chelsea.
CM: N’Golo Kanté – 5/10
The French midfielder failed to get himself involved in the game while operating as a box to box midfielder. He tried his best to make some good runs from midfield but lacked the cutting edge in the final third.
CM: Jorginho – 5/10
The Italian talent dominated the ball, but the Foxes marked him closely to neutralise his threat going forward. His passes lacked their usual precision during the game which will disappoint him.
CM: Mateo Kovacic – 4.5/10
He looked average at best going forward. The Croatian midfielder did make some selfless runs in midfield, but he never looked like he could make a positive impact in the game. His performance in the second half didn’t improve which is why Sarri decided to take him off at the hour mark.
RM: Pedro – 4.5/10
The Spanish forward was a frustrated figure in the attacking end of the pitch. He couldn’t manage to create anything meaningful going forward but did work hard defensively for his team.
ST: Eden Hazard – 5/10
The Belgian frontman struck the bar with a powerful strike in the first half but was usually quiet during the game as the Leicester defence completely contained his impact for the full 90 minutes.
LM: Willian – 3.5/10
The Brazilian winger saw a lot of the ball but was wasteful in possession and was not able to make a significant contribution in the attacking third of the pitch.
Substitutes:
CM: Ruben Loftus-Cheek – 5/10
The English prospect struggled to make an impact after coming off the bench.
ST: Olivier Giroud – 5/10
The French forward didn’t show enough going forward.
CM: Cesc Fabregas – 5/10
He passed the ball well but failed to deliver a defence-splitting pass after coming on for the final quarter of the match.
