Assuming Match of the Day remains to be working by the point their objective of the month festival for March is staged, Chelsea must have 3 contenders at the shortlist. Brilliant finishes from Ben Chilwell, Kai Havertz and Mateo Kovacic enabled Graham Potter to rejoice a 3rd win in what have been forged as doubtlessly the executive’s ultimate week on the membership.
Gary Lineker may well be forgiven for short of to go back to the heat of the BBC studio if that is what staring at Leicester reside is like. A 5th successive defeat in all competitions method Brendan Rodgers alternatives up the baton because the Premier League supervisor maximum underneath power. Leicester are one level above the relegation puts.
This was once the primary time Chelsea had scored thrice in a sport since October, and handiest the 3rd time this season. Even if their stepped forward efficiency was once nonetheless a ways from dominant, two league victories and a secure passage into the quarter-finals of the Champions League presages neatly for Potter.
“It’s been a really good week [with] three wins,” he mentioned. “I’m extremely joyful for the avid gamers and the fanatics. It was once a sport within the steadiness however it was once our high quality that noticed us over the road. It’s been a group efficiency over the week. It takes slightly of time to increase that however the spirit and togetherness is rising. It’s been a difficult length however now we will be able to look ahead to every week forward towards Everton.”
It took until the 58th minute before Leicester fans started singing Lineker’s name; perhaps next time he could bring his boots. Goodness knows, they’ve had little else to cheer lately. And their mood was hardly ameliorated by another former Leicester favorite opening the scoring.
It was after Chilwell’s corner had been headed towards what seemed like safety by Harry Souttar that Kalidou Koulibaly retrieved the ball out wide, beat his man with a neat turn and crossed long beyond the far post. Chilwell shaped his body perfectly to dispatch a luscious left-foot volley into the bottom near corner.
Rodgers had switched to a back three, leaving out wingers Harvey Barnes and Tetê, and Leicester matched their moneyed visitors in more than just shape for much of the first half. But, pushing their wing-backs high, it did leave them vulnerable at the back and Havertz sent João Félix clear midway through the period for the on-loan forward to dunk a shot over Danny Ward but off the post.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall dispatched a superb left-footed shot against the crossbar before Félix came even closer to extending Chelsea’s lead. A beautiful flowing move ended with Ruben Loftus-Cheek squaring for Félix to sidefoot home but VAR spotted he had gone just too early.
Leicester raised their game after this reprieve and, capitalizing on Félix’s cheap concession of possession, Patson Daka cut inside to wallop the ball into the net from the corner of the penalty area.
Just as Leicester were on the verge of taking control, however, with Kepa Arrizabalaga repelling efforts from James Maddison and Kelechi Iheanacho, Chelsea went ahead with another contender for their goal of the season. Enzo Fernández lifted the ball up and over Leicester’s compact defense for Havertz to produce the most sumptuous dab imaginable over Ward’s head.
The second half was almost as random, although Chelsea’s quality on the break gave them the edge and Conor Gallagher, who replaced Félix at the interval, helped the visitors gain a marginal overload in midfield.
Gallagher cleared off the line from Souttar and Dewsbury-Hall failed to score when Barnes’s header found him five yards out. Chelsea could have been further ahead by then if Ward had not superbly parried away Havertz’s header. Mykhaylo Mudryk, after a finish was disallowed by VAR, played his part in the clinching goal, heading Havertz’s cross back for Kovacic to take to the air and volley into another superb goal.
Leicester’s misery, compounded when Wout Faes was sent off three minutes from time for a second caution, echoes their start to the season when they gained one point from their opening seven games, before rallying impressively. “One factor we have now proven is that we will be able to struggle and feature a resilience and that is the reason what will be wanted for those subsequent 12 video games,” Rodgers mentioned.