The Premier League weekend started with a much-needed win for Manchester United against a young Southampton side. That game was won by Bruno Fernandes’ goal, but VAR was again in the spotlight as a blatant handball from Scott McTominay inside the box was not given, denying Saints a deserved penalty. After that came multiple games in the 3 p.m. kickoff slot. Liverpool smashed Bournemouth 9-0 and Manchester City came back to beat Crystal Palace 4-2 at the Etihad Stadium. At Stamford Bridge, Chelsea welcomed a struggling Leicester City side.
Both the teams were in need of a win desperately. Thus, the game started at full tempo with high energy. The match had players diving in with tackles and everything else to excite fans, but the home side went down to 10 men after Conor Gallagher was booked twice in quick succession. This put the Blues under some pressure early, but the game went on pretty much at the same pace. Chelsea almost took the lead in the match, but the post denied Reece James.
The same could have been the case for the Foxes, but Jamie Vardy dragged his effort wide when put through on Chelsea’s goal. During halftime, Thomas Tuchel made a change and introduced Cesar Azpilicueta—and what a change that turned out to be. The introduction of Azpilicueta made sure the Blues were solid in their structure. Not long after the start of the second half, Raheem Sterling opened his Chelsea account as his effort was deflected over Danny Ward. The home side took the lead, despite being a man down.
The Blues doubled their lead just after 15 minutes as Sterling tapped home a brilliant cross from Reece James. Three minutes later though, the Chelsea lead was cut in half as Harvey Barnes scored for the Foxes. In the remaining 30 minutes of the game, both teams had chances to put the game in their balance but couldn’t do so. The contest ended 2-1 in favor of the Blues.
Here’s how each Chelsea player fared against a resilient Leicester City side:
Edouard Mendy (Goalkeeper): 5/10
After his abysmal mistake at Leeds United, it feels as though Edouard Mendy cannot be trusted much with his feet and that now certainly seems to be the case. As a shot-stopper, Mendy is one of the best in the world, but in his decision-making and with the ball at his feet, he is probably one of the worst. This was on display today as Mendy saved Chelsea quite a few times after players like Barnes and Vardy got through on goal.
The Senegalese international got away with a blunder in the first half when the Foxes scored from a corner and the goal was ruled out, as Barnes had fouled Mendy. However, to be honest, what Mendy did was not good goalkeeping at all. The Blues’ No. 1 keeper should have also done a better job of stopping the goal Barnes scored at his near post, but the number of saves he made definitely helped Chelsea secure all three points on the afternoon.
Reece James (Right back): 8/10
Chelsea played four-at-the-back, so Reece James got to play in his preferred position of fullback, rather than a right-sided centerback. James was one of the best players on the pitch. His passing ability was on full display as his long balls and cross-field passes were all on point. In the first half, James could have given the home side the lead, but his effort rattled the post. Throughout the game though, James looked sharp and defended well when the team needed him the most.
Thiago Silva (Centerback): 8/10
Certainly one player that Chelsea needed the most on Saturday was the Brazilian veteran. His vast experience majorly helped the Blues when they went down to 10 men, and had to play the majority of the game like that. Leicester had most of the possession and created most of the dangerous chances late on, but quite a few of them were also canceled out by the brilliance of Thiago Silva. Toward the end of the game, the Brazil international looked to be struggling, but marshaled on and helped secure all three points.
Trevoh Chalobah (Centerback): 6.5/10
Trevoh Chalobah made his first appearance of the season for the Blues and what a game to kick off his 2022/23 campaign. Seeing as the club has agreed to a deal for Wesley Fofana, Chalobah had to prove his worth. Throughout the game, Chalobah struggled as Vardy made quite a few runs behind him and Mendy had to make a few saves. In the air though, Chalobah was far more successful, competing with the Foxes attackers valiantly.
Marc Cucurella (Left back): 7.5/10
The Spaniard—who played at left back on Saturday—looks to be the most consistent Chelsea player. Marc Cucurella was a constant attacking presence on the left side and he assisted Sterling for the first goal. He should have had another assist when he put Sterling through again, only for Ward to make a sublime save and push the effort onto the post. Defensively, Cucurella’s pace helped the back line and he was solid enough in pressure situations to deny Leicester from eventually netting an equalizer.
Jorginho (Defensive midfielder): 6/10
Jorginho had one of his better performances this game, but the high intensity and tempo of the contest made him more error-prone. This was evident as the Leicester players were fast to close down the Italian midfielder, which put him under a lot of pressure and made him misplace some of his passes. Jorginho still did a good enough job, but his Chelsea future still hangs in the balance when it comes to whether a new contract will be given to him or not.
Conor Gallagher (Central midfielder): 4/10
Conor Gallagher was again given the chance to start after his disappointing full debut against Leeds United. From the get-go, the English midfielder was full of energy, going in for tackles and doing everything right. However, he conceded a silly foul on Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall that got him booked in the 22′. Things unfortunately got worse for the youngster as he got booked again in the 28′ after he stopped Barnes on a Leicester counterattack. Another disappointing outing for the young midfielder, which truly is a shame.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Central midfielder): 7.5/10
Ruben Loftus-Cheek now seems to have cemented his place in the Chelsea starting line-up after starting for the third straight match. The Englishman started in a midfield trio alongside Jorginho and Gallagher. The physical nature and the dribbling ability of Loftus-Cheek were on full display against the Foxes. He should have given Chelsea the lead early on, but the midfielder directed his effort straight at Ward. He even won a penalty, but that was redacted for a dodgy offside call from VAR (some things never change).
Unfortunately, due to the red card, Loftus-Cheek had to play the majority of the game in a deeper role, but that didn’t mean his presence in the game was affected. The only thing he has to improve is his decision-making in the final third. If that is sorted, he can replicate the form he showed under Maurizio Sarri many years ago.
Kai Havertz (Right winger): 6.5/10
Kai Havertz showed good hints of combination with Loftus-Cheek in the attacking half, but the red card to Gallagher again meant that the German international was somewhat isolated up front. Throughout the game, Havertz could not retain the ball much and he had a great battle with Jonny Evans. He strayed offside a few times, one of which lead to Chelsea’s penalty being called back. Still, the German needs to do much better to be involved in the game.
Raheem Sterling (Center forward): 9/10
The most important and the best player on the pitch for Chelsea was Sterling, whose two goals helped secure a much-needed win for the club. In the first half, Sterling could have had an assist if Loftus-Cheek had taken his chance. Just after the start of the second half, Sterling gave the 10-man Blues the lead after his effort was deflected and looped over Ward to find the back of the net. The English international then doubled the lead as James delivered a brilliant cross across the Leicester box for him to tap in. The second goal showed his brilliant awareness which Chelsea has lacked for quite a while.
Mason Mount (Left winger): 6/10
From the start, the high tempo of the game kind of suited Mason Mount and his energy output. Fans would have expected Mount to be heavily involved. Unfortunately, that is the complete opposite of what happened. Throughout the first half, the England international was barely involved in the final third as every one of the Blues’ attacks went down the right side of the pitch. Mount was taken off for Azpilicueta during halftime to ensure the security of the back line, rather than due to his lack of involvement in the attacking third.
Cesar Azpilicueta (Right centerback): 7.5/10
Azpilicueta was brought on for a relatively uninvolved Mount during the halftime interval to ensure the back line stayed tough. Azpilicueta made Chelsea more solid, as the team was down to 10 men and it was set to be under pressure from the Leicester City attackers throughout the last 45 minutes. Azpilicueta—alongside Silva—showcased a brilliant display of defensive ability and bailed out the Blues on a number of occasions. Supporters should be glad that Chelsea extended his contract earlier in the transfer window.
Christian Pulisic (Left winger): 6/10
Christian Pulisic came on for Sterling in the 75′ to provide some fresh legs up front and trouble the Leicester back line when playing on the break. The American did give Chelsea an outlet from which it could break, and played some good defensive football down the stretch. He couldn’t do much on the attack successfully as the Blues were pinned back by the Leicester attackers late on.
Mateo Kovacic (Central midfielder): 6/10
Mateo Kovacic came on for Jorginho in the 75′ to introduce some fresh legs in the midfield when Jorginho had started to struggle a bit. This was his first appearance of the season back from injury, and what a great time it is for him to come back from his knock. Kovacic played well all things considered. Chelsea fans will be hoping he is ready to start a match, as Tuchel will need to call on the experienced midfielder with Gallagher suspended for the Southampton match.
Ben Chilwell (Left wingback): N/A
Ben Chilwell came on for Cucurella in stoppage time and he couldn’t do much to influence the game. However, it’s nice to see the English fullback getting some more minutes under his belt as he continues the recovery period.
What rating would you give to each one of the players for their performance against the Foxes? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter!