The title could be Chelsea’s as soon as Sunday afternoon after Jose Mourinho’s men came from behind to beat Leicester.
The first-half display at the King Power Stadium on a damp Wednesday night was one with plenty of good football played but without the penetration to make it count, and our nerve came under examination when the home side took the lead just before half-time and against the run of play.
However Didier Drogba’s seventh goal of the season soon after the resumption kick-started a superb second-half display. John Terry became the joint-highest-scoring defender in Premier League history when he netted his 38th in the competition from close range to give his side the lead and the best strike of the game from Ramires made the vital three points safe.
With the lead at the top extended to 13 points, the league table makes pleasant reading indeed.
Oscar was okay to be named among the subs after being wiped out by the Gunners’ keeper three days ago. Willian played in the no.10 role with Cesc Fabregas deeper and Ramires wide on the right.
The defence was the familiar one that was unchanged for the fifth game running.
Despite injury concerns leading up this game, including the in-form Jamie Vardy, Leicester were unchanged from their win at Burnley.
First half
For the third game running the Blues came up against a side in peak
form, albeit one from the other end of the table than Man United and
Leicester, and there was confidence in some of the home team’s play
early on, even if they did defender in numbers.
Branislav Ivanovic did well in an early chase with Vardy, with an offside flag halting the Foxes no.9 soon after.
A shower of rain shortly after kick-off had made what was otherwise a smooth carpet of a pitch a touch slippery and footings were lost, but after eight minutes Chelsea began to play ourselves into the game. Some neat passing around the Leicester area led to Cesar Azpilicueta firing into the danger zone but his ball was blocked.
Up the other end, Leicester topscorer Leonardo Ulloa couldn’t control Esteban Cambiasso’s superb ball over the top of the Chelsea defence.
On 15 minutes, there was the first showing of Chelsea on the counter-attack, Willian’s raid down the left and well-judged ball behind the initial attackers setting up Drogba who had held his run. However his attempt at goal from that distance was too ambitious. Moments later Fabregas was played in behind the defence on the left but his square pass was just too far in front of Ramires.
Injury forced former Chelsea schoolboy Andy King off before 20 minutes were played. Matty James replaced the midfielder and their problems were compounded when another former Blue, Robert Huth, was lost to injury midway through the half, Ritchie De Laet his replacement. Nigel Pearson’s substitution possibilities for later in the game were suddenly much reduced.
The visitors were looking confident and pulled the Leicester defence one way then the other before Drogba turned under pressure and shot wide. The Foxes backline, which was five-men strong, had done well on that occasion.
Ten minutes before the interval, Paul Konchesky was shown a yellow card for going through the back of Ramires, hardly the first time the former Charlton and West Ham defender has been booked against the Blues, but from the free-kick sent over from the flank, Kasper Schmeichel made comfortable catch.
The fact the Leicester wing-backs were not getting forward often was limiting their attacking threat, but on 40 minutes Chelsea were suddenly making saves and blocks all over the shop as the ball pinged around our area.
Cech did well to keep the ball out by pushing it onto the post after Ramires allowed Konchesky to reach a high ball first. Marc Albrighton had a goal-bound effort blocked before we eventually cleared.
Stoppage time at the end of the half was extended when Hazard needed treatment after a collision with Cambiasso, and it was in the final moments before the whistle that the home side took the lead.
It was Vardy out on the left who crossed low past Terry and Cahill but Azpilicueta was still favourite to cut the ball out. That was before he slipped on the turf moistened by more rain which allowed Albrighton to fire a shot Cech couldn’t keep out. It was the first time he has been beaten in his league action this season.
The 37-year-old almost had a second soon after but shot over, and the search for the lead continued when Willian, continuing on from his excellent showing on Sunday, flew down the right and sent a great ball across goal which the sprinting Fabregas could only send wide with his left knee.
It was all Chelsea now and after a perfectly weighted ball by Fabregas, Drogba flashed a shot just wide of the far post. Willian curled a 20-yarder over before at the other end, James had a shot deflected worryingly close but wide after what had looked to be a push on Ramires. That was the last time the home side truly troubled us.
The threatening balls kept being played into the Leicester area with Hazard, Fabregas and Willian pulling plenty of the strings but we reached the 75-minute mark with the scores still level.
The home side made their final substitution with Riyad Mahrez on for Vardy. Mourinho had yet to make any of his.
Ramires had a shot deflected wide and finally the pressure told. Fabregas, as usual,sent the corner over and Gary Cahill with great dexterity got a header on target. Schmeichel on the floor made an equally good one-handed save but all to no avail as Terry was right there to shin the ball over the line.
We had only 11 minutes left to hold on for the win but all the tension was taken out of the match when just four minutes later Ramires lashed us 3-1 ahead, catching Fabregas’s pass on the edge of the area with his left foot as sweetly as he could have wished.
The remainder of the match was fun, especially for those fans in the Chelsea section. ‘Boring, Boring Chelsea’ and ‘Are you watching Arsenal?’ were among the songs sung.
There will be plenty of people round the world watching Chelsea play at Stamford Bridge when we host Crystal Palace this weekend, that is for sure!
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry (c), Azpilicueta; Ramires, Matic; Willian ( Zouma 84), Fabregas ( Mikel 90), Hazard (Cuadrado 87); Drogba.
Unused subs Courtois, Filipe Luis, Ake, Oscar.
Scorers Drogba 48, Terry 79, Ramires 83.
Leicester (3-5-2): Schmeichel; Wasilewski, Huth (De Laet 24), Morgan (c); Albrighton, King (James 19), Drinkwater, Cambiasso, Konchesky; Ulloa, Vardy (Mahrez 77).
Unused subs Schwarzer, Hammond, Wood, Kramaric.
Scorer Albrighton 45+2
Booked Konchesky 36.
Referee Mark Clattenburg
Crowd 32,021
The first-half display at the King Power Stadium on a damp Wednesday night was one with plenty of good football played but without the penetration to make it count, and our nerve came under examination when the home side took the lead just before half-time and against the run of play.
However Didier Drogba’s seventh goal of the season soon after the resumption kick-started a superb second-half display. John Terry became the joint-highest-scoring defender in Premier League history when he netted his 38th in the competition from close range to give his side the lead and the best strike of the game from Ramires made the vital three points safe.
With the lead at the top extended to 13 points, the league table makes pleasant reading indeed.
Team news
Thibaut Courtois was not 100 per cent fit so Petr Cech was in goal and Drogba, who came on at half-time at Arsenal, continued up front bringing even more title-race experience to the starting line-up.Oscar was okay to be named among the subs after being wiped out by the Gunners’ keeper three days ago. Willian played in the no.10 role with Cesc Fabregas deeper and Ramires wide on the right.
The defence was the familiar one that was unchanged for the fifth game running.
Despite injury concerns leading up this game, including the in-form Jamie Vardy, Leicester were unchanged from their win at Burnley.
First half
For the third game running the Blues came up against a side in peak
form, albeit one from the other end of the table than Man United and
Leicester, and there was confidence in some of the home team’s play
early on, even if they did defender in numbers.Branislav Ivanovic did well in an early chase with Vardy, with an offside flag halting the Foxes no.9 soon after.
A shower of rain shortly after kick-off had made what was otherwise a smooth carpet of a pitch a touch slippery and footings were lost, but after eight minutes Chelsea began to play ourselves into the game. Some neat passing around the Leicester area led to Cesar Azpilicueta firing into the danger zone but his ball was blocked.
Up the other end, Leicester topscorer Leonardo Ulloa couldn’t control Esteban Cambiasso’s superb ball over the top of the Chelsea defence.
On 15 minutes, there was the first showing of Chelsea on the counter-attack, Willian’s raid down the left and well-judged ball behind the initial attackers setting up Drogba who had held his run. However his attempt at goal from that distance was too ambitious. Moments later Fabregas was played in behind the defence on the left but his square pass was just too far in front of Ramires.
Injury forced former Chelsea schoolboy Andy King off before 20 minutes were played. Matty James replaced the midfielder and their problems were compounded when another former Blue, Robert Huth, was lost to injury midway through the half, Ritchie De Laet his replacement. Nigel Pearson’s substitution possibilities for later in the game were suddenly much reduced.
The visitors were looking confident and pulled the Leicester defence one way then the other before Drogba turned under pressure and shot wide. The Foxes backline, which was five-men strong, had done well on that occasion.
Ten minutes before the interval, Paul Konchesky was shown a yellow card for going through the back of Ramires, hardly the first time the former Charlton and West Ham defender has been booked against the Blues, but from the free-kick sent over from the flank, Kasper Schmeichel made comfortable catch.
The fact the Leicester wing-backs were not getting forward often was limiting their attacking threat, but on 40 minutes Chelsea were suddenly making saves and blocks all over the shop as the ball pinged around our area.
Cech did well to keep the ball out by pushing it onto the post after Ramires allowed Konchesky to reach a high ball first. Marc Albrighton had a goal-bound effort blocked before we eventually cleared.
Stoppage time at the end of the half was extended when Hazard needed treatment after a collision with Cambiasso, and it was in the final moments before the whistle that the home side took the lead.
It was Vardy out on the left who crossed low past Terry and Cahill but Azpilicueta was still favourite to cut the ball out. That was before he slipped on the turf moistened by more rain which allowed Albrighton to fire a shot Cech couldn’t keep out. It was the first time he has been beaten in his league action this season.
Second half
The Blues have only been behind once at half-time in our previous 49 games this season, and we weren’t for long in this one. Ivanovic very smartly used his strength to get in behind the defence after a long throw and cut the ball back. Drogba, just up on his feet from an injury, beat De Laet to it and drilled the ball into the net from 10 yards out before being buried under a pile of yellow shirts. We were level three minutes into the half.
The 37-year-old almost had a second soon after but shot over, and the search for the lead continued when Willian, continuing on from his excellent showing on Sunday, flew down the right and sent a great ball across goal which the sprinting Fabregas could only send wide with his left knee.
It was all Chelsea now and after a perfectly weighted ball by Fabregas, Drogba flashed a shot just wide of the far post. Willian curled a 20-yarder over before at the other end, James had a shot deflected worryingly close but wide after what had looked to be a push on Ramires. That was the last time the home side truly troubled us.
The threatening balls kept being played into the Leicester area with Hazard, Fabregas and Willian pulling plenty of the strings but we reached the 75-minute mark with the scores still level.
The home side made their final substitution with Riyad Mahrez on for Vardy. Mourinho had yet to make any of his.
Ramires had a shot deflected wide and finally the pressure told. Fabregas, as usual,sent the corner over and Gary Cahill with great dexterity got a header on target. Schmeichel on the floor made an equally good one-handed save but all to no avail as Terry was right there to shin the ball over the line.
We had only 11 minutes left to hold on for the win but all the tension was taken out of the match when just four minutes later Ramires lashed us 3-1 ahead, catching Fabregas’s pass on the edge of the area with his left foot as sweetly as he could have wished.
The remainder of the match was fun, especially for those fans in the Chelsea section. ‘Boring, Boring Chelsea’ and ‘Are you watching Arsenal?’ were among the songs sung.
There will be plenty of people round the world watching Chelsea play at Stamford Bridge when we host Crystal Palace this weekend, that is for sure!
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry (c), Azpilicueta; Ramires, Matic; Willian ( Zouma 84), Fabregas ( Mikel 90), Hazard (Cuadrado 87); Drogba.
Unused subs Courtois, Filipe Luis, Ake, Oscar.
Scorers Drogba 48, Terry 79, Ramires 83.
Leicester (3-5-2): Schmeichel; Wasilewski, Huth (De Laet 24), Morgan (c); Albrighton, King (James 19), Drinkwater, Cambiasso, Konchesky; Ulloa, Vardy (Mahrez 77).
Unused subs Schwarzer, Hammond, Wood, Kramaric.
Scorer Albrighton 45+2
Booked Konchesky 36.
Referee Mark Clattenburg
Crowd 32,021
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