After a long international break, club football returned in good fashion for all Chelsea fans. Their Blues went on to beat Brendan Rodgers’ struggling Leicester City 3-0 at the King Power Stadium. The west London side started on the front foot, attacking and pressing the Foxes’ defenders all throughout the first half. Chelsea was rewarded for its hard work in the 14′ as Antonio Rudiger headed in Ben Chilwell’s corner to take the lead. Just before the half-hour mark, the visitors extended their lead through N’Golo Kante, who shot just from outside the box, beating Leicester keeper Kasper Schmeichel on his near post.
In the second half, the Foxes started to get in the game more and played much better compared to the first half. Nevertheless, Leicester was still sloppy and wasteful with the ball. That wastefulness cost it as Chelsea put the game beyond their reach after substitutes Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech combined to make the scoreline 3-0. Just like the start, the Blues ended the game in dominating fashion and extended their lead on top of the Premier League table.
Here’s how each Chelsea player fared in a dominant win against Leicester City:
Edouard Mendy (Goalkeeper): 7.5/10
The Senegalese international once again had nothing to do in the first half as Leicester didn’t even have a shot on goal. But, when the Foxes improved improved in the second half, Edouard Mendy was called into action. Out of nowhere, Mendy had to make a few acrobatic saves from long-range efforts. Otherwise, the Blues’ No. 1 had a more quiet afternoon than he would have expected.
Trevoh Chalobah (Right centerback): 8/10
After being dropped for the match against Burnley just before the international break, Trevoh Chalobah was recalled into the side and fully justified his selection. Chalobah maintained the defensive line well and looked comfortable throughout the game. As the game went on, the English defender carried the ball forward more and created the chance for Ziyech to set up Chelsea’s third goal of the afternoon.
Thiago Silva (Centerback): 8/10
The Brazilian veteran kept Leicester’s talisman at bay throughout the game. Thiago Silva was the last man in Chelsea’s defense and played his part perfectly even after Rodgers made changes to his side in the second half by introducing Kelechi Iheanacho and James Maddison. Silva put in a very simple, yet dominant, performance that featured some exquisite passing.
Antonio Rudiger (Left centerback): 9/10
The German international was all over the pitch on Saturday, attacking and defending in both halves. He keeps reminding Chelsea that it will miss one helluva player next season if he decides to depart. Rudiger scored the first goal with a fine header from Chilwell’s corner to put the visitors ahead. He didn’t have much defending to do but when he did, he did it well.
Reece James (Right wingback): 8.5/10
Reece James had little-to-no defending to do in the first half and kept up his brilliant form in front of goal by assisting Kante’s goal, spinning away from Boubakary Soumare, and setting the Frenchman clear. Throughout the game, the England international was a constant threat, creating two key passes. Suffice it to say, James is in the form of his life right now as he’s crucial to both facets of the Blues’ play from the right wingback spot.
Jorginho (Central midfielder): 7.5/10
The Italian midfielder should have had an assist in the opening few minutes when he played a glorious pass to Chilwell, but his shot struck the bar from close range. Jorginho ticked Chelsea over beautifully in the first half and even pushed higher in the second half to press the opponent after they changed their tactics. It seems that the Ballon d’Or candidate did pick up an injury though, as he was subbed off in the second half and replaced by Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
N’Golo Kante (Central midfielder): 9.5/10
The Man of the Match award on Saturday went to the brilliant Kante. His energy—not only in the first half, but throughout the game—won the Blues the contest. Kante was a menace in attack, scoring Chelsea’s second goal with a brilliant finish on his weaker foot just from the outside of the box. The French midfielder was simply world class.
Ben Chilwell (Left wingback): 8.5/10
Chilwell should have started the game in dream fashion by scoring a goal amongst the boos raining down on him at the King Power Stadium, but the England international struck the bar from close range. He did manage to bag an assist in the 14′ as Rudiger headed home the left wingback’s brilliantly placed corner. Throughout the game, Chilwell was a constant threat, creating three key passes and taking three shots on target, forcing Schmeichel to produce some fine saves.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Central midfielder): N/A
Loftus-Cheek replaced the injured Jorginho, but didn’t have much time to impact the game significantly.
Mason Mount (Right winger): 6.5/10
Having missed the full international break due to his dental surgery, Mason Mount was given the chance to start the game. However, the English international could not put his marker down on the game and struggled to match the level of his teammates. He was replaced by Hakim Ziyech in the 61′ after a relatively sloppy performance from Chelsea’s wonderkid.
Kai Havertz (Center forward): 7/10
Coming back from a good international break, Kai Havertz was particularly good during the first half of the game with his slick one-touch passes and movement. The German international led the line well but per usual, he had nothing to show for it. Havertz was surprisingly taken off for Pulisic in the 61′ of the match as the American slotted up top for the false nine.
Callum Hudson-Odoi (Left winger): 7/10
Despite the Blues being so dominant throughout the game, Callum Hudson-Odoi didn’t do much in either of the halves. Even when he was on the ball, he was muscled off it by the strong back line of the Foxes. The manager gave him the full 90 minutes on Saturday though and he put in an OK-ish performance on the afternoon.
Christian Pulisic (Center forward): 7.5/10
Pulisic played well as a striker after replacing Havertz midway through the second half. The United States international even scored the Blues’ third goal, his second for club and country this week. He could have had another goal but Pulisic missed from close range after getting into a good position, but having a tough angle to shoot from. These were good minutes under his belt after recovering from a long-term injury.
Hakim Ziyech (Right winger): 7/10
The Moroccan international had a solid impact from off the bench after he replaced Mount. Ziyech assisted the third goal and was a constant menace to the Leicester defense with his tricky feet.
How would you rate the performances? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!