Chelsea got back to winning ways following the November international break, beating Leicester City 2-1 at the King Power Stadium. It was a happy return to the East Midlands for Enzo Maresca, who helped the Foxes to promotion from the Championship last season.
The Blues took the lead just 15 minutes into the game after some early domination. It was a brilliant piece of play from Nicolas Jackson to give his side the lead, and he took his finish superbly, given he was swamped by Foxes defenders.
The home side rarely got a sniff and were continuously under pressure from Chelsea. Cole Palmer almost doubled his side’s lead, but his shot was blocked on the line by teammate Noni Madueke as he tried to evade the shot from his England teammate.
The Blues did get their second goal through Enzo Fernandez in the 75th minute. That turned out to be a crucial strike, with Leicester earning a late penalty, which Jordan Ayew converted. The Foxes could not find an equaliser meaning Chelsea held on and will return to London with all three points.
There were some standout players for the Blues in the East Midlands, but Jackson and Fernandez were arguably the best of the bunch.
Fernandez’s and Jackson’s stats vs. Leicester
After a tough start to the season, Fernandez seemed at his very best against Steve Cooper’s side. His goal was one a striker would be proud of. He got on the end of a rebound after a save from Leicester goalkeeper Mads Hermansen, who pushed away a Jackson header. The World Cup winner simply nodded home into an empty net.
It was a classic performance in the middle of the park outside of his goal from Fernandez. As per Sofascore, he created three chances and managed to get his assist for Jackson, and also won seven from nine ground duels.
As for Chelsea’s striker, he continued his good form and found the back of the net once again. The Blues number 15 took his goal expertly, latching onto a Fernandez pass and somehow keeping hold of the ball, going past the Foxes defence. His finish was well-taken, poking it past the Leicester goalkeeper with the outside of his foot to take the lead.
His performance earned him an impressive 8/10 rating from GOAL journalist Gill Clark. The football writer was full of praise for the Senegal striker, describing him as the Blues’ ‘star man’ in the clash at the King Power Stadium.
As good as both Fernandez and Jackson were, there was a Chelsea player who performed at a similar level and impressed against the Foxes. That man is Benoit Badiashile.
Badiashile’s stats vs. Leicester
It was a commanding performance from the French defender against Leicester, who showed his fantastic on-the-ball abilities and worked hard without the ball, ensuring his side earned all three points.
The former AS Monaco centre-back did not look fazed once, and whilst the Foxes were reserved and did not attack very much, Badiashile still did a good job when called upon defensively.
His stats from the game show just how well he performed. The France international had a whopping 113 touches, while enjoying an 89% pass accuracy rate after he completed 90 from 101 attempted passes. He also won three duels.
Badiashile stats vs Leicester | |
|---|---|
Stat | Number |
Touches | 113 |
Passes completed | 90/101 |
Pass accuracy | 89% |
Long balls completed | 5/8 |
Interceptions | 4 |
Clearances | 2 |
Blocks | 1 |
Stats from Sofascore | |
Like Jackson, the Blues defender received an impressive 8/10 rating from Clark for his performances. The journalist praised the 23-year-old, explaining he was ‘great in possession’ and looked completely ‘untroubled at the back’.
It was certainly a fantastic afternoon’s work from Badiashile. He will be hoping to cement his place in the Premier League side, after making just his second top-flight appearance of the season. With plenty of games coming up for the Blues, the Frenchman will surely be hoping to get more of a look in after a strong start.
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