Premier League champions remain just one-point above drop-zone
Leicester City reclaimed top spot in the Premier League this evening thanks to a 2-1 win over Chelsea at the King Power Stadium.
It was a match that saw Claudio Ranieri go up against his former-employers and it was he who had the last laugh thanks to goals from Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez.
The two teams went into the game under different circumstances, with Leicester pushing for the title, and Chelsea hovering just above the relegation zone, which was made worse yesterday by Newcastle United‘s 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur.
Jose Mourinho‘s men knew if they were to stand a chance, they’d have to keep star-duo Vardy and Mahrez quiet, however, they failed in doing that and both got themselves on the score-sheet.
Match Summary
Mahrez was in fact the first player to create an opening, but his tame shot was easily saved by Thibaut Courtois in the early stages of the match.
Despite the early attempt from Leicester, it was Chelsea who saw most of the ball, but surprisingly Willian failed to deliver a good set-piece from four opportunities.
Eden Hazard‘s personal woes then continued as he was forced off with an injury, and he was to be replaced by Pedro.
The first goal of the game came after 34-minutes and it was the combination of Mahrez and Vardy once again as the Algerian crossed in perfectly and the Englishman volleyed home.
The Foxes took that lead into the half-time interval.
Whatever Mourinho said in the changing room at half-time, it didn’t work as Leicester doubled their lead within five minutes of the restart as Mahrez superbly curled home after turning Cesar Azpilicueta inside out.
Despite going 2-0 down, Chelsea actually then started to play better football, and they should have pulled one back when Cesc Fabregas found Diego Costa in the box with a beautifully weighted chip-ball. However, the Spaniard was denied by Kasper Schmeichel and the score remained 2-0.
The Blues finally pulled a goal back however after consistent pressure and the two substitutions combined as Pedro crossed for Loic Remy, who headered home to give the visitors hope.
However, the game ended quietly following Remy‘s goal and the scores stayed the same.
The win for Leicester puts them back on top and two points above Arsenal after 16-games, while Chelsea remain 16th and just one point above the drop-zone.
Match Reaction
Leicester goalscorer Riyad Mahrez speaking to Sky Sports: “I don’t know if no-one can stop me but I need to do my best for the team, but the most important thing is the performance of the team, we did a great game and deserved the win. I have a lot of confidence, when you keep scoring and making assists it’s normal to have confidence.”
Asked if Leicester were safe, he added: “We are not definitely safe, we need 40 or 42 points for that.”
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho: “We were the best team for 20-25 minutes, maybe for a maximum of 30 minutes. They were best team for an hour.
“When some of your players don’t hit the levels they are capable of it is hard to see. This season we are doing so bad for some reason, not all of them.
“To turn things around, I know only one way – working at the top level. Day by day in training I have no complaints with them. But is it frustrating to see what they are doing in training and what they do in matches, then clearly yes.”
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt
