Leicester 2-1 Chelsea: Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez take Foxes top
Leicester
moved back to the top of the Premier League with a stunning 2-1 victory over
champions Chelsea on Monday Night Football.
Goals either side of half-time from Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez
were enough to secure the points, despite Loic Remy's header and a late rally
from Chelsea, to leave Jose Mourinho's side one point above the relegation
zone.
It
was a cagey start, with both teams well aware of the game's importance -
Leicester knowing they could move ahead of Arsenal and Manchester City to
return to the summit, while the reigning champions were desperate to make up
ground on their rivals. |
Leicester
players celebrate Riyad Mahrez's stunning goal to double the lead
|
Both sides were forced into early changes, with Danny Drinkwater
and Eden Hazard picking up injures after fairly innocuous challenges.
The
Leicester midfielder was replaced by Andy King midway through the first half
after pulling his hamstring, and Hazard had to make way for Pedro after
appearing to injure his hip just a few minutes later.
The match came to life shortly after the half-hour mark, when
Leicester took the lead from another counter-attack. Unsurprisingly, it was
Mahrez and Vardy linking up again, with the England striker grabbing his 15th
league goal of the season.
Right
winger Mahrez, so impressive this season, fired in a dangerous ball from the
right, with Vardy well placed to get in between John Terry and Kurt Zouma. He
knocked it past a helpless Courtois to give the Foxes the lead, as chants of
"we are top of the league" rang around the King Power Stadium.
Almost
immediately Chelsea broke away looking to level things up, with manager
Mourinho looking less than impressed on the sidelines.
Willian whipped a corner in from the right for Nemanja Matic to
rise above the defence, but his looping header could only clip off the top of
the bar.
The onus was on Chelsea to push for a leveller, but it was
Leicester who continued to look dangerous.
Just three minutes after the break, Mahrez grabbed his 11th of
the campaign to double the home side's lead. The ball came across to the
Algerian winger at the back post, who found himself in acres of space.
Quickly
he was closed down by Cesar Azpilicueta, but the in-form Leicester man turned
the defender left and right, before curling the ball into the far corner.
Mourinho's men did carve some chances, and much of the second
half pressure was theirs. Pedro almost pulled one back when the ball fell to
him in the box, but his effort was high and wide.
Keeper Kasper Schmeichel came to the rescue just seconds later
when Diego Costa found himself one-on-one. The Chelsea man did everything he
could, but Schmeichel made himself big and diverted the ball over the bar.
The
away side's best chance came from the resulting corner, when the ball fell to
Branislav Ivanovic, unmarked at the back post. Two yards out, and with an empty
net to aim at, the ball bounced off the defender's heel and was cleared.
Chelsea got the goal they were looking for, but it proved to be
too little, too late for last season's Premier League champions. An
inch-perfect ball from Pedro from the left found substitute Remy, who powered a
header into the back of the net.
Despite more late pressure, a spirited performance from
Leicester earned them three more points, taking them to 35 for the season. 16
matches, and 10 wins from them, while Chelsea's struggles continue at the other
end of the table.
Goalscorer Riyad Mahrez and Wes Morgan speak following
Leicester's 2-1 victory over Chelsea.
Player ratings
Chelsea: Courtois (5), Ivanovic
(6), Zouma (6), Terry (5), Azpilicueta (5), Ramires (6), Matic (6), Willian
(7), Oscar (6), Hazard (6), Costa (6)
Subs used: Fabregas (6), Pedro (6), Remy (7)
Leicester: Schmeichel (8), Simpson
(7), Morgan (7), Huth (6), Fuchs (6), Mahrez (9), Drinkwater (6), Kante (8),
Albrighton (8), Ulloa (7), Vardy (8)
Subs used: Inler (6), King (6),
Okazaki (6)
