A precise and organized Leicester City defeated Chelsea 2-0 at King Power Stadium on Tuesday on goals by Wilfred Ndidi and James Maddison.
It was evident from the outset which team was playing with confidence, as the Foxes gladly allowed Chelsea to control possession, knowing that opportunities for turnovers and defensive errors would present themselves.
It took just five minutes for the home side to open the scoring, as Ndidi hit a shot from outside the penalty area that snuck inside the post and stunned the visitors. Up until that point, it was a back-and-forth affair as the teams took turns charging downfield.
Ndidi’s goal amplified both teams’ attitude, as Leicester was clearly energized by the opener while Chelsea looked even more out of sorts from that point on. The Foxes jumped on every chance to play as directly as possible, efficiently making their way toward goal several times throughout the half as the Blues struggled to keep pace whenever they lost the ball.
Maddison put the nail in the coffin four minutes before halftime, just moments after a Chelsea penalty was overturned in a VAR review. Leicester wasted little time getting the ball into the Chelsea half, and a long, searching pass dropped to the feet of the awaiting Maddison and, a split-second later, into the back of the net.
The second half saw more of the same, with Leicester nearly finding a third goal early after the restart. Chelsea did have some threatening moments — including an 86th-minute offside call after substitute Timo Werner appeared to score — but none that were decisive enough to cause much trouble for a very comfortable home side.
Leicester’s victory sees the club take over the Premier League’s top spot, although Manchester United can reclaim first place with a win at Fulham on Wednesday.
Leicester go top of the #PL with victory over Chelsea#LEICHE pic.twitter.com/qDJc1PJ8Ff
— Premier League (@premierleague) January 19, 2021
COMMENTS