Chelsea vs Leicester City Review
Chelsea managed to defeat a resilient Leicester City team at Stamford Bridge, bouncing back from Cole Palmer’s first penalty miss in his professional career to secure a 1-0 victory in an exciting Premier League match. Seeking their fourth straight home win in the league, Chelsea started positively, with Palmer playing a key role from the beginning, having a penalty appeal rejected and taking two early shots on goal.
The Blues found some success on the right side, and shortly after an Enzo Fernández cross caused issues for Leicester, the home crowd erupted in celebration when a penalty was awarded for a careless foul by Victor Kristiansen on Jadon Sancho. Mads Hermansen did his best to stall the penalty, which ultimately worked in his favor as the Danish goalkeeper became the first to stop Palmer’s penalty, ending the Premier League’s longest streak of successful penalty conversions at 12.
The Blues controlled possession, but a strange sequence nearly gave the Foxes an unexpected advantage. Back in the Premier League starting lineup, Robert Sánchez’s decision to dive for a cross from James Justin led to confusion, causing Tosin Adarabioyo to inadvertently head the ball onto his own crossbar. This was one of the few first-half chances for Leicester, as both teams went into halftime level after Christopher Nkunku’s shot missed the target.
The second half began with energy, as Jamie Vardy tested Sánchez from a tight angle. After Pedro Neto had a deflected shot that served as a warning, Marc Cucurella finally scored with a low shot from just outside the box. Now it was up to Ruud van Nistelrooy’s team to react, but the home side appeared more likely to score again as the match approached its conclusion.
Leicester’s late attempts to score were unsuccessful, and ultimately, a lone goal secured three points for the Blues against Maresca’s old team. Consequently, the Foxes find themselves deep in a relegation struggle, sitting six points away from safety after suffering their fifth consecutive Premier League loss without finding the net. Meanwhile, Chelsea, who have a solid home record, have climbed back into the top four, holding a two-point lead over fifth-placed Manchester City.
