Enzo Maresca’s return to the King Power Stadium ended in victory as Chelsea beat Leicester City 2-1 in the Premier League on Saturday.
The Italian, who guided the Foxes back to the Premier League last season, saw his side take an early lead through Nicolas Jackson’s accomplished finish, but will have been frustrated by their inability to extend the lead during a commanding first-half performance.
However, the visitors continued to assert themselves after the break and eventually wrapped up the points through the impressive Enzo Fernandez, with Leicester pulling one back in stoppage time through Jordan Ayew’s penalty.
How the game unfolded
Chelsea made an utterly dominant start in the East Midlands, camped in the Leicester final third for the opening 15 minutes. The home side were unable to play through the press effectively, surrendering possession back to their visitors with misplaced passes and hopeful long balls.
Unsurprisingly, Leicester’s inability to retain the ball led to the opening goal of the game. Wout Faes’ dreadful attempts to clear a bouncing ball gifted possession to Enzo Fernandez, who poked into the path of the in form Jackson. The Senegalese evaded Caleb Okoli’s challenge effortlessly before producing an excellent close-range finish.
Chelsea felt aggrieved that Wilfred Ndidi only saw yellow for his lunge on Cole Palmer as the Leicester players and crowd grew increasingly frustrated midway through the first half. The home side didn’t make a single pass in the final third during the opening 25 minutes, with Noni Madueke almost compounding their misery with a side-footed effort before the half-hour mark.
Madueke thought he had indeed doubled Chelsea’s advantage just several minutes later after sweeping home an excellent move. However, Marc Cucurella, who laid on the cross for the England winger, had strayed marginally offside in the build-up.
It took Leicester 38 minutes to register their first shot of the match but it was very nearly an equaliser. Kasey McAteer, who was starting his first Premier League match, whipped a left-footed effort inches wide of Robert Sanchez’s far post.
Chelsea continued to control proceedings after the break and were inexplicably unable to double their lead nine minutes into the second half. Jackson’s parried effort fell into the path of Palmer with the goal gaping but the attacking midfielder’s shot was miraculously blocked on the line by his own player, with Madueke unable to get out of the way of Palmer’s tap-in.
There was a sense that Chelsea needed to double their advantage despite their unequivocal dominance and that’s exactly what they did in the 75th minute. The lively Jackson produced a fantastic save from Mads Hermansen in the Leicester goal but Fernandez was on hand to head home the rebound and kill the contest.
Stephy Mavididi felt he should have been awarded a penalty in the closing ten minutes after a coming together with former Leicester defender Wesley Fofana, but Leicester did eventually reduce the deficit with a 95th minute spot kick from Jordan Ayew.
However, it proved nothing more than a consolation as Chelsea held firm for all three points and an important victory.
*Ratings provided by FotMob*
GK: Mads Hermansen – 6.5/10 – Should have been tested more frequently given Chelsea’s dominance and was confident with deliveries into the penalty area.
RB: James Justin – 6.3/10 – Often struggled to deal with the marauding Joao Felix, who dragged him inside regularly, but he certainly grew into proceedings as Felix’s influence waned.
CB: Wout Faes – 5.7/10 – Made a hash of clearing the ball in the build-up to Chelsea’s opener and never looked convincing in or out of possession as Chelsea piled on the pressure.
CB: Caleb Okoli – 6.3/10 – Better than his centre-back partner and won the bulk of his individual duels throughout.
LB: Victor Kristiansen – 6.4/10 – Looked out of his depth against Madueke in the opening 20 minutes but steadied himself in the second half.
DM: Harry Winks – 5.7/10 – Lasted just 11 minutes before being withdrawn due to injury. Another important starter added to Leicester’s growing injury list.
DM: Boubakary Soumare – 6.2/10 – Booked during the first half as Leicester struggled to take hold of the midfield battle and didn’t notably improve after the restart.
RW: Kasey McAteer – 6.7/10 – Showed fleeting glimpses of his speed and ingenuity but was unable to provide any consistent threat to Chelsea’s goal.
AM: Wilfred Ndidi – 6.1/10 – Could have seen red for a nasty challenge on Palmer and offered little in the final third when he did break into the Chelsea half.
LW: Bilal El Khannous – 6.3/10 – Looked Leicester’s liveliest threat while simultaneously surrendering possession far too easily.
ST: Jamie Vardy – 5.9/10 – Vardy’s absence was sorely felt against Manchester United before the international break but he was almost anonymous in this one. Completely isolated leading the line throughout.
Substitutes
SUB: Oliver Skipp (11′ for Winks) – 6.2/10 – Cautioned for a late challenge on Fernandez as Chelsea broke clear but did provide some much-needed energy in the engine room.
SUB: Stephy Mavididi (71′ for McAteer) – 6.1/10
SUB: Jordan Ayew (71′ for Ndidi) – 7.2/10
SUB: Bobby Decordova-Reid (79′ for El Khannous) – 6.8/10
SUB: Patson Daka (79′ for Vardy) – 6.1/10
Subs not used: Danny Ward (GK), Conor Coady, Hamza Choudhury, Luke Thomas.
Manager
Steve Cooper – 4/10 – Met with boos at points in the first half as Leicester were outclassed and often outfought, with the Welshman unable to change the flow of the match after the half-time whistle in what was another disappointing display.
GK: Robert Sanchez – 6.6/10 – Having faced his fair share of criticism this term, Sanchez did little to change the narrative. Shaky with the ball at his feet and when commanding his box.
RB: Wesley Fofana – 7.3/10 – Jeered by the home supporters after leaving Leicester on a sour note but didn’t allow the boos to impact him. Perhaps could have given away a spot kick late on.
CB: Levi Colwill – 7.2/10 – A front-foot defensive display from Colwill, who looked sharp after missing the international break. Vardy couldn’t get the better of him.
CB: Benoit Badiashile – 7.9/10 – Made some strong interventions as he swiftly stepped into challenges, matching the high level of his centre-back partner.
LB: Marc Cucurella – 7.6/10 – Bombed up and down the left flank with boundless energy and would have have provided an assist if not for his left shoulder being an inch offside.
DM: Moises Caicedo – 7.4/10 – Combative at the base of midfield as Chelsea regained possession quickly. A typically defiant display from the Ecuador international.
RM: Noni Madueke – 7.4/10 – Plenty of endeavour from Madueke and he often caused Kristiansen issues down the right-hand side. Somehow provided a goal-line clearance from Palmer’s effort, though.
CM: Enzo Fernandez – 9/10 – Set up the opener and proceeded to dazzle in a box-to-box midfield role, which was capped with a goal of his own. A leading performance from the skipper, who showed exactly what he’s capable of in a more advanced role.
CM: Cole Palmer – 7.5/10 – Far from Palmer’s brightest performance in a Chelsea shirt but he was still impactful in the final third, teeing up teammates frequently.
LM: Joao Felix – 7.7/10 – Provided a completely different threat to his injured compatriot Pedro Neto and performed a key function in Chelsea’s build-up play. Proved a point to Maresca.
ST: Nicolas Jackson – 8.2/10 – Another incredibly composed finish from Jackson, who continues to prove doubters wrong following a difficult debut campaign. The forward’s header forced the second, too.
Substitutes
SUB: Christopher Nkunku (81′ for Felix) – N/A
SUB: Romeo Lavia (81′ for Caicedo) – N/A
SUB: Jadon Sancho (85′ for Madueke) – N/A
SUB: Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (90+1′ for Jackson) – N/A
Subs not used: Filip Jorgensen (GK), Marcus Bettinelli (GK), Tosin Adarabioyo, Renato Veiga, Mykhailo Mudryk.
Manager
Enzo Maresca – 8/10 – A joyous return to the Midlands for Maresca, whose Chelsea side were completely in control until stoppage time. Could have won more convincingly but an impressive performance from his team.
