Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester City swept Chelsea aside with a 2-0 victory at the King Power Stadium, piling even more scrutiny on Frank Lampard who seems to have lost the ability to help his team to a win over tough sides.
Goals from midfielders Wilfred Ndidi and James Maddison were enough to secure the Foxes the three points and place them top of the Premier League.
The Blues defence looked shaky from the off, appearing seemingly unprepared for the attacking off-the-ball pressure that is instilled in this Leicester side.
Wilfred Ndidi grabbed a rare goal when he opened the scoring early with a beautifully struck shot off the outside of his boot from 18-yards, sending the ball to Edouard Mendy’s right post and rebounding into the net on the other side of the goal.
The Foxes continued the forward pressure, with James Maddison hitting the crossbar from the edge of the box.
Chelsea were not without their moments though, with encouraging chances on goal from defenders Reece James and Thiago Silva accompanied by some good play on the ball from Mason Mount and Kai Havertz.
The London side were undeniably settling into the game as it progressed, with perhaps perhaps their best chance of the half coming on the 30 minute mark, when Christian Pulisic set Callum Hudson-Odoi up for a clear shot on goal, only for the winger to send the ball into the side netting.
Jamie Vardy, who many believed would not start due to a hip issue that ended his game against Southampton last week, nearly doubled Leicester’s lead with a lob, but Mendy was able to intelligently block the ball with a strong arm.
The Blues appeared to have at last got the opportunity for a breakthrough after minutes of pressure when Johnny Evans hacked down the lightning-quick Pulisic on the very edge of the box.
Referee Craig Pawson initially awarded a penalty, but VAR correctly ruled it a free kick only for Mason Mount to fire the ball miles over the crossbar.
Leicester responded to Mount’s error by rapidly counter attacking, and taking advantage of the helpless looking Chelsea defence.
A looping ball that should have been easily cleared found it’s way to Maddison, who slotted the ball calmly past Mendy’s left to double his side’s lead and create a comfortable gap between the teams at half time.
The Blues attack looked more composed in the early minutes of the second half, with James looking his usual threatening self down the right flank, and Pulisic demonstrating his silky footwork.
Mendy did well to get his foot in the way of a Youri Tielemans led counter-attack down the left wing, with the Frenchman once again demonstrating that he is not at fault for Chelsea’s poor defensive play thus far.
The game began to slow down in pace around the hour mark with neither side, particularly the trailing one, getting much luck primarily due to the wet weather conditions.
For all Chelsea’s faults in the game, Mount was a twinkle of light, with the Englishman relentless in both attack and defence, illustrating his phenomenal work ethic and sheer desperation to make something of this game throughout his 90 minutes on the pitch.
The game briefly looked like it could be within Chelsea’s reach when substitute Timo Werner managed to poke the ball past Kasper Schmeichel, but once again the decision just was not on their side, with the goal ruled offside by the lineswoman.
A late chance from Hakim Ziyech summed up Chelsea’s display, with Schmeichel easily getting down to the ground to hold the ball and run down the clock even further, with the final whistle shortly following the chance.
Leicester also must be credited with doing a fantastic job in managing the game and always looking in control of the uninspired Blues.
After the defensive error of the second goal I would argue it would be incredibly harsh for Frank Lampard to be relieved of his managerial duties at Chelsea, but knowing the ruthless nature of the club’s board, I would not be surprised if this was the end for the club legend.
For Chelsea it was a very familiar story of the last couple of seasons; poor defensive play combined with a lack of efficiency in attack.
After tonight’s display, it’s hard not to ask the question; ‘How long does Frank Lampard have left?’.
A dejected Lampard said to the media “We got beaten by a better team.
“You can break the game down afterwards but the most disappointing thing is coming here and losing.”
The Chelsea boss added “I’m worried, I think to go from the form we were in to the form we’re now in, we should be better than that.
“It’s a big lesson for some of the players, that if you think you’re fine you’ll eventually run out of confidence and you need to get out of this hole.”
With the victory Brendan Rodgers men top the Premier League table, just a point ahead of Manchester United.
Rodgers said after his side’s win “We really deserved it.
“It was a really good, professional performance and we showed some real good moments of football.”
In terms of what’s next for the two sides, Chelsea, who could have a new face in the dugout soon enough, face Luton at Stamford Bridge in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Sunday, meanwhile Leicester City will travel to the Brentford Community Stadium for their cup fixture.
