LESTER, England – Chelsea exacerbated Leicester City’s relegation fears and escalated the heat on Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers with a comfortable 3-1 victory at King Power Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday.
Goals from Ben Chilwell, Kai Havertz And Matthew Kovacic — Patson Dhaka equalized in favor of Leicester in the first half – recorded Chelsea’s third win in a week, extending their resurgence. And with Leicester down two places above the relegation zone, their day was made worse by a defender. Wut Faes was sent off for two yellow cards at the end of the second half.
Fast reaction
1. Chelsea emerge from the crisis and start to gain momentum
Graham Potter was driven to the depths of despair during his short reign as Chelsea manager, but this victory over Leicester showed that he and his team may have finally recovered from their months-long nightmare. The Blues won three matches in a week and reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League after winning just one of their previous 11 matches.
The dominance of their victory over King Power was highlighted by the fact that they also disallowed two goals for offside against the struggling home team.
With Potter once again able to turn his favored 3-5-2 formation, Chelsea looked in control from the start and they took the lead in the 11th minute when Chilwell struck with his left foot to score for his former club. Leicester reacted well and had their chances equalizing thanks to a Ducky strike in the 39th minute, but they regained control when Kai Havertz made it 2–1 with a goal in the fourth minute of first half stoppage time.
This goal allowed the guests to dictate the game even more and their big money signings shone. Loaned Joao Felix was confident in the first half before being pulled off at half-time and Enzo Fernandez And Mykhailo Mudryk both were impressed before Kovacic made it 3-1 in the 78th minute.
Chelsea were so poor during their deplorable mid-winter season that Potter appeared to be busy as manager, but perhaps the board’s patience with the former Brighton & Hove Albion boss is now paying off.
There were clear signs of progress and that the team came together in this victory. A top four spot looks beyond them, but if they can build on their resurgence, a top seven finish and maybe even a Champions League final could still be on the cards.
2. Rogers feels hot as Leicester faces relegation
Rodgers was subjected to ‘We want Rodgers gone’ chants as Leicester suffered their 16th Premier League defeat this season – a defeat that leaves them just one point above the bottom three. All managers know that their impact on the job only waxes or wanes based on performance, but when supporters start to turn around, it usually hastens the beginning of the end.
Rodgers knows this better than anyone, having been a top manager for over a decade, but the former Liverpool and Celtic boss has no doubt been forced to work under tough conditions at King Power in recent seasons. He saw star players like Harry Maguire, Kasper Schmeichel And Wesley Fofana everyone leaves without a proper replacement, and the lack of new contracts last summer has led to problems this season.
Despite Leicester winning the first-ever FA Cup in 2021, Rodgers appears to have lost the confidence of the club’s supporters, who now fear relegation.
Before this game, Rodgers said that keeping Leicester this season would be one of the biggest accomplishments of his career, so he clearly feels like he didn’t make it this season. However, having been in charge for four years now, Rogers will also know that he has little time to extend this tenure into a fifth year.
3. Maddison is critical to the Foxes’ survival hopes
King Power Stadium held its breath when James Maddison fell to the ground after a late call from Fernandes in the 58th minute. As the Leicester midfielder clutched his foot in agony, the prospect of a serious injury would be extremely devastating to his club’s survival prospects.
In the end, the 26-year-old was able to return to action despite the injury still bothering him.
Leicester are in such a precarious position at the wrong end of the table right now that they need Maddison on the pitch, even if he’s not 100 per cent ready. He is their best player at some distance and the only one capable of creating the goalscoring chances Leicester desperately need to convert.
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At times against Chelsea, it was like the lead violinist trying to play with a local band in the garage when Maddison is too often on a different wavelength than his teammates. Despite an injury season, he has scored nine goals in 19 Premier League appearances and provided five assists, so his importance to Rodgers’ side is clear.
If Maddison is able to help Leicester stay afloat, it will likely be his last contribution to the club, and moving on to bigger and better things appears to be only a matter of time for the English player.
Best and Worst Performers
BEST: Kai Havertz, Chelsea The Chelsea striker was at his best at King Power. Great passing and movement and an amazing cross that restored his team’s lead.
BEST: James Maddison, Leicester City. Leicester need Maddison to stay fit if they want to avoid relegation. He stands out by a mile as the best player in the team.
BEST: Enzo Fernandez, Chelsea. The Premier League’s most expensive player is growing in his role at Chelsea and he has dominated midfield alongside Kovacic. However, he was lucky to avoid a warning for a flagrant foul on Maddison.
WORST: Harry SuttarLeicester City. The Leicester defender was lucky to avoid a yellow card, or worse, for a rude late challenge to Mudrik in the second half. Too bulky for a Premier League centre-back.
WORST: Wout Faes, Leicester City. Not only does he look like former Chelsea defender David Luiz, but he also has the same reckless defensive mindset as the Brazilian. Removed for two yellow cards, second foul on Karni Chukwuemeka – in itself worthy of a red card.
WORST: Ricardo PereiraLeicester City. Received a warning for a bad call on Fernandez but got away with an even worse foul on Felix earlier in the game.
Highlights and Notable Moments
This suggests that it is difficult to determine what was more impressive: Fernandez’s top-handed ball or Havertz’s first cross. Two beautiful displays of technology.
Kai Havertz? Cooler than on the other side of the pillow.
📺: @USANetwork #MyPLMorning | #DEAD BODY pic.twitter.com/Wz9zbcBPJ7
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) March 11, 2023
After the match: what the players/managers said
Potter: “It has been a really positive week for us. Three victories: a decisive victory over Leeds, an important victory over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League and then a victory here away in the Premier League says a lot about the development of spirit, the development of unity in our club.
Rogers: “I thought at the end it was very cruel to the players… What really excites me is the spirit of the team, they kept fighting, they kept working and I think we were unlucky that we lost the way we did. . “
Key statistics (provided by Sportzshala Stats & Information research)
– Chelsea scored several goals in consecutive matches for the first time after five games from 1 to 16 October.
– Chelsea went on a 24-match streak without scoring a single goal in any competition.
Next
Leicester City: The Foxes will travel to west London in a week, where they will take on Brentford in Saturday afternoon’s Premier League clash.
Chelsea: Chelsea will return to the comforts of home at Stamford Bridge on Saturday when they host Everton in the Premier League.
Source: www.espn.com
