Resurgent Chelsea down Iheanacho's Leicester

Chillwell grabbed a goal in Chelsea's victory over Leicester

PREMIER LEAGUE Resurgent Chelsea down Iheanacho's Leicester

Faruq Ibrahim 18:00 - 11.03.2023

Chelsea win consecutive league games for the first time since October with a convincing victory over Leicester.

Chelsea were dominant from start to finish in this victory, which showed they were truly turning the corner. They were ruthless offensively, scoring three goals in a game for the first time since October in their 3-1 victory over Leicester.

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Leicester hosted Chelsea at the Kings Power Stadium as they looked to prevent Potter's side from grabbing consecutive league victories for the first time since October. Chelsea proved to be too strong for their hosts, powering past them, with ex-Leicester defender Ben Chillwell grabbing the opener.

Ben Chillwell gave Chelsea the lead in the 11th minute of the game, and Joao Felix thought he doubled it in the 35th minute, but VAR ruled it out for offside.  

Patson Saka pulled Leicester level in the 39th minute of the game, but Havertz ensured Chelsea went into the break with a lead with a strike in the 6th minute of first-half injury time.

Chelsea sealed their victory with a 78th-minute Kovacic strike before Leicester's woes were compounded when Wout Faes was sent off in the 87th minute. 

Chelsea remained 10th with the victory, but they are now only four points away from Newcastle in 6th, although the Magpies have played two games less.

Leicester, on the other hand, continue to get sucked into the relegation dogfight, as they are now only three points ahead of last place Southampton and only one above West Ham in 18th.

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How it happened

Chelsea started the game with purpose, buoyed by their midweek victory against Bournemouth. 

They rightly went ahead after a spell of dominance when Kalidou Koulibaly found himself in an unfamiliar position on the left wing. The centre-back crossed the ball, and it was well received by Chillwell, who was also in an unnatural position on the right wing. The left-back buried the ball into the bottom left corner to put Chelsea in front. 

The game grew into an end-to-end affair, with both sides getting chances, but Chelsea looked closer to getting a second than Leicester did an equaliser.

Loftus-Cheek squared the ball into the area, and it was cleanly finished by Joao Felix; however, VAR ruled him offside. Not long after, Patson Daka released a powerful shot with his weak foot to pull Leicester level. 

Chelsea, on the other hand, did not take it lying down. They were rewarded for their industry late in the first-half when Enzo played a stunning lobbed pass above the Leicester backline to find Havertz who timed his run perfectly.

The German finished cleanly with a lob of his own over Danny Ward to put Chelsea in the lead going into the break. 

The second half was of a similar tone to the first, with both teams getting chances but Chelsea looking the likelier to score.  

New boy Mudryk crowned his brilliant performance on the day with a well-worked assist for Mateo Kovacic, who finished to double Chelsea's lead and seal the victory. 

Kovacic sealed Chelsea's victory
Kovacic sealed Chelsea's victory

An ill-advised foul by Faes saw him pick up a yellow card that proved to be the last major action of the game, as Leicester suffered their 5th consecutive defeat in all competitions and 4th in the Premier League.

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Iheanacho's game by numbers 

The Nigerian striker did not have a poor game, but his performance fell short of the recent standards he has set for himself.

Kepa halting Iheanacho's attempt
Kepa halting Iheanacho's attempt

He managed one shot on target, but brave goalkeeping from Kepa prevented the Nigerian. He also created two scoring chances for his teammates, playing off Patson Daka on the right side of Leicester's attack. 

Iheanacho was tidy on the ball, completing four of six attempted dribbles while maintaining an 84% pass completion rate, with 21 of his 25 attempted passes reaching their destinations.

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