Leicester City 1-2 Chelsea: Enzo Fernandez shines brightest in narrow away victory

Chelsea turned what was supposed to be a routine victory and clean sheet against a helpless Leicester City side into an eventful match that had a penalty at the end. The Blues still claimed the victory, but it was much closer than it should have been.

With Chelsea having won only one of the last seven games played immediately after an international break, this game was a must-win. Nicolas Jackson and Enzo Fernandez ensured that it was, but there were some performances that certain players will want to forget. Here is how the Pride of London rates the Blues' performances:

Robert Sanchez: 6/10

Robert Sanchez had little to do all game, and unfortunately, the only time he was called upon was to face a free shot from 12 yards away. The issue, though, is that in areas Sanchez could control, like his long passing, he was horrendous. The 1.97m goalkeeper has been consistently poor in his distribution, and he may soon be giving Maresca a decision to make.

Wesley Fofana: 6/10

Fofana kept it simple for the most part, but he got away with a penalty call in the second half. His reading of the game was good, tracking his runners well. However, he was poor in his duels, winning just 1/3 aerials and only half of the eight ground duels he contested.

Benoit Badiashile: 8/10

Badiashile was excellent against Leicester and would be disappointed not to have left with a clean sheet. His passing was crisp, and he was key to Chelsea's ball progression. His line-breaking passes were excellent as usual, and his reading of the game was top-notch. He made four interceptions, more than anyone else on the pitch.

Levi Colwill: 6/10

Colwill was poor. He wasn't horrendous, but many aspects of his performance were unsatisfying. He lost the ball too many times, while making just one defensive action. He also played Bobby Decordova-Reid onside for the 95th-minute penalty. He completed the same proportion of passes as Badiashile, despite attempting seven fewer long balls.

Noni Madueke: 6.5/10

Madueke did not offer much and squandered the few chances that came his way. He was handed the opportunity to give Chelsea a two-goal lead when Nicolas Jackson crossed a perfect ball to him from a counterattack. His dribbling was decent, and he created some chances.

Enzo Fernandez: 9.5/10

Enzo Fernandez was superb. He didn't need to focus on ball retention, as Badiashile and Moises Caicedo were handling that. He was more focused on chance creation. With three key passes, no one on the pitch created more than the World Cup winner. Most importantly, he topped off his performance with a goal and an assist, making him directly responsible for Chelsea's win. He was also fantastic defensively, winning 7/9 ground duels and 5/6 tackles.

Moises Caicedo: 7/10

Caicedo was good defensively, but it wasn't always easy for him. His passing was much better than Fernandez's, but his duel-winning was significantly worse.

Marc Cucurella: 6.5/10

Cucurella overlapped well, and his passing was good. He tracked his runners well, but struggled in his duels. Leicester found joy down his wing. His performance picked up in the second half, where he did much better defensively and in possession.

Cole Palmer: 5.5/10

Palmer's corner kicks were quite hard to watch. He tied Fernandez in key passes but struggled to have much of an impact in the final third. His role in buildup was crucial, though. His dribbling was poor, and, like Madueke, he also wasted a clear-cut chance.

Joao Felix: 5.5/10

Felix, unsurprisingly, was poor again. He created nothing useful. He was dribbling past players but did nothing with the space. He did contribute defensively, though. His shooting was poor as well.

Nicolas Jackson: 9/10

Nicolas Jackson was excellent. His passing was crisp, and his hold-up play was fantastic. The way he stayed on Wout Faes, troubled him, and pinched the ball off him to score was reminiscent of former Chelsea strikers like Didier Drogba and Diego Costa. He also created a perfect chance for Madueke, but unfortunately, the former PSV winger couldn't convert.

Jadon Sancho (85'): N/A

No one knows what's going on with Sancho, but he wasn't given a chance to impact the game, and he didn't.

Christopher Nkunku (81'): N/A

Nkunku only had nine minutes of regulation time to play, and he was invisible for most of it. The game was already won by the time he and the other subs came on.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (90'): N/A

The Dewsbury-Hall substitution was pointless, and only Enzo Maresca can explain why he brought him on and why it was so late. Dewsbury-Hall did as much as you can expect from a player coming on in the 90th minute: nothing.

Romeo Lavia (81'): N/A

Lavia had the single most impactful event in the game. Having come on with nine minutes of regulation time left, the former Southampton midfielder contested two ground duels, lost them both, and conceded a penalty that ultimately canceled out Chelsea's clean sheet.

Enzo Maresca: 6.5/10

Maresca gets marked down for starting Joao Felix, especially considering that Jadon Sancho and Nkunku are fit. His substitutions also seemed aimless, especially that of Dewsbury-Hall. He did well to finally start Badiashile, though, so he gets credit for that.

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