Alvaro Morata scored yet another header as Chelsea held on for their third win in three. Antonio Conte packed the midfield against Leicester, bringing in Tiemoue Bakayoko to play alongside Cesc Fabregas and N’Golo Kante in a 3-5-2 formation which also featured Pedro in a false nine position.
Chelsea dominated possession in the first-half but poor service into the box meant that they failed to create clear-cut opportunities. With the clock ticking towards half-time, Morata popped up with his third headed goal of the season, nodding in a whipped Cesar Azpilicueta cross.
In the second-half Leicester brought on Demarai Gray to try to break Chelsea’s stubborn defence, but indeed it was the Blues who scored next, extending their lead to two goals as Kante’s speculative long-range effort slithered under Kasper Schmeichel. The Frenchman’s goal proved to be crucial in the end, as 12 minutes later Jamie Vardy converted a penalty to halve the deficit and bring Leicester right back into the game. The remaining 28 minutes saw Leicester try to draw level but the Chelsea rearguard stood strong in the face of increasing pressure to claim the three points.
Here are the player ratings from the game:
Thibaut Courtois – 7, superb save to deny Slimani when the Blues were caught on the break
Cesar Azpilicueta – 7, he has yet again managed to develop his game further, with his pin point crossing for Morata now becoming a trademark part of his game – that’s his second assist for the Spaniard in two games, with crosses from outside the area. His pass back to Courtois, however, was incredibly misjudged and subsequently led to a penalty being rightly awarded.
David Luiz – 7, with a pass accuracy of 94% Luiz was the composed figure Chelsea needed at the back. With both Kante and Bakayoko in front of him, the Brazilian didn’t have much to do but nonetheless, his jostling of players on the edge of the area helped keep Leicester quiet.
Antonio Rudiger – 7, looked much better today, he was composed in possession and used his body well to shield the ball. Rudiger’s distribution in tight areas was also greatly improved, and he has clearly benefitted from the international break.
Victor Moses – 6, his crossing was very poor despite getting in behind Leicester’s defence time after time, he came off for Zappacosta in the second-half having suffered an injury.
N’Golo Kante – 9, whenever Kante scores you know it’s a special goal, and his 30-yard strike turned out to be the match winner. His physical presence is always felt, and he was once again able to just ease players off the ball and win back possession.
Cesc Fabregas – 7, his passing was incisive and quick and was it not for better finishing from his teammates then Fabregas may well have added a couple of assists to his name, and wrapped up a more comprehensive victory for the Blues. His corner kick routines need working on, however.
Tiemoue Bakayoko – 8, a performance to rival Kante’s. Bakayoko won 75% of his duels, recorded more tackles and regained possession more times than any other Chelsea player – a truly superb game from the midfielder, and one befitting of his £40 million price tag.
Marcos Alonso – 6, his touch let him down at times and like Moses, his deliveries were consistently poor. He did, however, show the vision and presence of mind to switch play when he came under pressure.
Pedro – 5, a disappointing performance from Pedro. He struggled to get into the game and create chances, despite all the space he was presented by Leicester’s deep defensive line at the start of the match. His decision-making was also disappointing and he was subsequently replaced by Willian in the second-half.
Alvaro Morata – 8, another header, another goal for Morata. The talismanic forward has now contributed to five Chelsea goals, all with his head (three goals, two assists). On the ground his finishing and passing were poor, wasting a few golden opportunities, but as long as the deliveries into the box are right then there are no better strikers aerially in the Premier League at the moment.
Substitutes:
Willian – 6, came close to finishing off the game on two operate occasions. the first a curling shot that dropped just wide of the goal and the second forcing a brilliant save from Schmeichel after the Brazilian was played through by Eden Hazard.
Davide Zappacosta – 6, his first touch was a bit suspect, but he handled himself well considering the pressure Chelsea were under at the time of his introduction. The Italian looks like more than adequate cover for Moses, and he could even have got on the score sheet if his shot was just a few inches closer to the goal.
Eden Hazard – 7, looked sharp on his return to the team, and his link up play with Morata will certainly excite Chelsea fans over the coming months of the season.
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