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Leicester rose to the top of the Premier League after sweeping Chelsea with a comfortable 2-0 win at the King Power Stadium.
Brendan Rodgers’ team got off to a perfect start when Wilfred Ndidi’s goal gave them the lead in the sixth minute.
Chelsea thought they had been given a route back to play when referee Craig Pawson judged that Jonny Evans had fouled Christian Pulisic inside the penalty area. However, the VAR intervened and overturned the decision, awarding the visitors a direct free kick to the edge.
Chelsea were further behind minutes later when James Maddison (41) directed Marc Albrighton’s long ball past Edouard Mendy.
Chelsea appeared to have grabbed a lifeline late when substitute Timo Werner converted a free kick by Hakim Ziyech, but the German drifted into an offside position as Leicester kept their clean sheet intact.
It was a comfortable night for Leicester, who are one point ahead of Manchester United after playing one more game. Meanwhile, it is more disappointing for Frank Lampard, as his team remains eighth.
How Leicester rose to the top of the Premier League …
Leicester made a perfect start when Ndidi sacked the hosts after six minutes.
The midfielder hit the post from the edge of the box after Harvey Barnes made a mistake on Marc Albrighton’s cut from a corner kick that stunned Chelsea.
Wilfred Ndidi (left) celebrates his first goal for Leicester against Chelsea
Lampard’s side was not in the defensive runs and they were inches from being further back when Maddison’s powerful effort from 20 yards hit the top of the crossbar.
Chelsea finally started teasing the hosts when Kasper Schmeichel deflected Reece James’ effort before Callum Hudson-Odoi hit the side net after Pulisic played it.
The Blues thought they had a lifeline six minutes before halftime when Pawson pointed out the spot after Evans knocked down Pulisic. However, a VAR review correctly judged the foul to be out of the box and Mason Mount threw the resulting free throw over the crossbar.
Chelsea’s Christian Pulisic (left) and Leicester City’s Wesley Fofana battle for the ball
It turned out to be a turning point in the game, as the hosts immediately doubled their lead. Albrighton’s long pass reached Maddison unmarked, who comfortably beat Mendy from 15 yards for his eighth goal of the season.
The Chelsea brand disappeared again just after the break and the unmarked James Justin should have made the triple, but his header hit the side net.
Albrighton then had the ball in the net, but the goal was correctly disallowed by the offside flag before Mendy cleverly attacked Youri Tielemans.
Substitute Timo Werner, who hasn’t scored a Premier League goal since October, thought he was going to put on a nervous ending, converting Hakim Ziyech’s free kick with four minutes remaining, but was also correctly called out of I play while Leicester held on comfortably. to go to the summit.
Redknapp: The pressure will be on Lampard
3:48
After Chelsea’s lackluster performance against Leicester, Jamie Redknapp says Frank Lampard will know the pressure is on him, but he still needs time to turn things around at the club.
What the managers said …
Leicester Chief Brendan rodgers: “It was a very good performance, they are [Chelsea] a talented team with individual quality but as a team we were excellent. We had a great attack threat in the first period. Harvey Barnes was sensational, really exciting. We were very good.
1:54
Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers was delighted that they posed a “real threat” in their win over Chelsea at King Power Stadium.
“The last 15 or 20 minutes of the first half our form allowed them to play through the bodies, so they started to have some combinations on the edge of the area. We changed our defensive form in the second half and that canceled out a lot of their Threat We looked very dangerous in the game Two very good goals We really deserved it.
“My satisfaction is to see the relationship between training and the game and the players have won many games against the big teams this season. You also see the maturity in the performance, that’s a nice aspect. Tonight it was a good professional performance and We had very good football moments “.
Chelsea boss Frank Lampard: “We were beaten by the best team. They were sharper than us, they ran faster than us and looked fit, we looked out of shape. It’s a disappointing goal from set pieces and the second goal just isn’t good enough. A lot of times where our sharpness wasn’t there, those are times where you have to dig deep and the basics are important like running and sprinting, and we didn’t do that.
4:57
Chelsea’s Frank Lampard admits that Leicester was better on the night and says a lot of players didn’t perform.
“The most disappointing thing is to come here and lose the game, but the basics without the ball is important. The game with the ball was a little slow at times, but it was good, we created some opportunities and I thought it was a shame but I’m not leaving to support those things, we were not good enough.
“We won against Fulham without playing brilliantly, that’s where we came from and lost a game, so it’s a little step back. I’m worried about the losing streak, the way we were to get to form so quickly. we’re in now, and we’ve had some wins, but five losses out of eight isn’t where we want to be. It takes character to get out of that, I’m not against the guys in the locker room because they’re disappointed. It’s a young team and it’s a great lesson that if you get out of there and think you’re fine, then you have to get out of the hole. “
Man of the Match – James Maddison
4:21
Leicester’s James Maddison says it’s a huge psychological boost to reach the top of the Premier League, even if it turns out to be for a short time after a ‘full performance’ against Chelsea.
Sky sports‘ Andy Hinchcliffe: “It has to be James Maddison. He was involved in the first goal and he scored the second goal. There were some wonderful passing, great movement and he also worked hard on the ball. He has been brilliant.”
Opta stats – Leicester back to the top
- Leicester will finish the day at the top of the Premier League table having played up to 19 games of the season for the first time since the final day of their 2015-16 title-winning campaign.
- The Foxes have won 30 of their 35 Premier League games when they scored first with Brendan Rodgers (D1 L4).
- Chelsea have kept a clean sheet in just 17% of their Premier League away games with Frank Lampard (5/29); Among those who have handled more than 10 away games in the competition, this is the lowest percentage of any Chelsea manager.
- Since the start of last season, only Newcastle (52) have conceded more away goals in the Premier League than Chelsea (50).
- Since beating Leeds to the top of the table in December, Chelsea have won only seven points of their last 24 available in the Premier League (two wins, one loss and five losses).
Whats Next?
Leicester will play away at Brentford in the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday at 2.15pm before returning to Premier League action at Everton on Wednesday, January 27; start 8.15pm.
Meanwhile, Chelsea host Luton in the fourth round of the FA Cup, also on Sunday at 12:30 pm before hosting the Wolves on Wednesday 27 January; start 6pm.
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