Leicester 1-2 Chelsea: Jackson & Enzo score, Blues go just 1 pt behind Man City

Blues go just one point behind Man City with comfortable win that inflicts more misery on Foxes.

Match Events

0' The match is about to start!

2' Cole Palmer left footed shot from outside the box is blocked!

11' Oliver Skipp replaces Harry Winks because of an injury...

13' João Félix right footed shot from the left box misses left after corner!

15' GOAL! Nicolas Jackson scores in the bottom right corner! Leicester 0-1 Chelsea

22' Yellow Card! Ndidi booked for a foul on Palmer!

29' Yellow Card! Soumaré booked for a fierce foul on Félix!

30' Noni Madueke’s left-footed shot from the right is saved bottom left!

33' Madueke scores but Marc Cucurella is caught offside!

38' Kasey McAteer left footed shot from right box misses left!

42' Wilfred Ndidi's right-footed shot from the box misses right!

54' Cole Palmer's left-footed shot is blocked by teammate Madueke!

75' GOAL! Enzo Fernández‘s header from very close range! Leicester 0-2 Chelsea

78' Yellow Card! Wout Faes booked for a foul on Jackson!

79' De Cordova-Reid for El Khannouss! Daka for Vardy!

81' Christopher Nkunku replaces João Félix! Roméo Lavia replaces Moisés Caicedo!

85' Jadon Sancho replaces Noni Madueke!

91' Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall replaces Nicolas Jackson!

94' Penalty Goal! Leicester 1-2 Chelsea (Jordan Ayew)

Match Report

ENZO MARESCA’S jet-lagged duo combined to make his return to Leicester a victorious if not an impressive one.

The former Leicester boss went back to the club where he won last season’s Championship title and came away with three points thanks to goals in each half.

Nicolas Jackson and captain Enzo Fernandez have barely touched down on the Heathrow tarmac following international duty but shrugged off the fatigue to clinch first Premier League win three.

Striker Jackson has been away in Africa playing for Senegal in African Cup of Nations qualifiers. Fernandez was with Argentina involved in World Cup action.

Yet they came to their manager’s rescue as Chelsea’s weary-looking band of cosmopolitan  stars struggled against the wind of Storm Bert to see off struggling City.

Jackson scored the first on 15 minutes and Fernandez wrapped it up with 15 to go. The result keeps Chelsea firmly in the top four despite a wobbly performance on the road.

Maresca is always wary of his squad’s fitness and fatigue levels after an international break.

Fernandez in particular was one of the last of his men back from playing for their respective countries after 90 minutes for Argentina against Paraguay in the early hours of Wednesday morning, UK time.

England forward Cole Palmer played a full 90 minutes on his return to action after withdrawing from international duty because of a knee injury. As did defender Levi Colwill.

Palmer had a great chance to score early in the second half but his goalbound shot hit team-mate Noni Madueke and rolled wide.

Maresca always fears the first fixture back following a fortnight with his players spread far and wide around the globe.

So it will be a big relief to have come through a painful early kick off with three points and to emerge from his return to the King Power Stadium triumphant.

City were always going to be up against it defensively but they were pretty feeble going forwards too with 37-year-old Jamie Vardy leading the line.

However, despite going a goal down when Wout Faes could not quite clear the danger comprehensively under pressure from Nicolas Jackson, so much of their disappointing first half came from poor passing and breakdowns in the middle third.

It didn’t help losing midfielder Harry Winks after only 11 minutes. The former Tottenham player looked to have twisted his ankle falling awkwardly and was replaced by his old White Hart Lane team-mate Oliver Skipp.

But Winks had been enjoying a bright start to the game and for a team under the cosh like city to have a key man come off so soon made the struggle uphill even steeper.

Faes looked to be the culprit when Maresca’s visitors went ahead four minutes after Winks limped off.

His cumbersome attempt at an overhead hook while tangling with Jackson was risky.

The ball only went as far as Chelsea skipper Enzo Fernandez charging through and the Argentinian threaded the ball back through to Jackson to latch onto and prod the ball home.

City have now gone behind in the last six games. And with confidence low and a relative OAP up front, albeit a classy one in vastly experienced Vardy, conceding first is a big problem.

Marc Cucurella scored a second for Chelsea but was offside. But how City stopped from being overrun is worthy of praise and a worry for Maresca that his team could not finish this game off long before half time.

Noni Madueke missed a great chance to double the lead with a volley wide, Joao Felix went wide and then high with other chances. 

No wonder Maresca remains constantly critical of his team’s attacking prowess even though it sits comfortably in the Premier League top four.

For failing to kill off games leads to hairy moments like the couple that the home managed to muster just before half time.

Both Kasey McAteer and Wilfred Ndidi should have put Chelsea keeper Robert Sanchez under far more pressure than they did with their shots but it was still a warning that The Blues had work to do.

Palmer should have put the seal on the game on 54 minutes when Cucurella chipped a shot into the box.

Jackson’s first time header was parried by keeper Mads Hermansen but another unforced error by Leicester’s defence left Fernandez unmarked to pretty much fall forwards and head the ball into an empty net from five yards.

It is now five games without a win for City even though they were handed a late, late lifeline from the penalty spot.

Chelsea sub Romeo Lavia tripped Bobby Decordova-Reid and Jordan Ayew rolled home his spot kick. 

Line-ups

Leicester XI: Vardy, Winks, Ndidi, Wout Faes, Justin, Soumaré, Mads Hermansen, Okoli, Victor Kristiansen, Kasey McAteer, Bilal El Khannouss

Subs: Jordan Ayew, Ward, Coady, Bobby De Cordova-Reid, Mavididi, Patson Daka, Choudhury, Skipp, Luke Thomas

Chelsea XI: Marc Cucurella, Robert Sánchez, Felix, Benoît Badiashile, Cole Palmer, Wesley Fofana, Noni Madueke, Enzo Fernández, Moisés Caicedo, Levi Colwill, Nicolas Jackson

Subs: Marcus Bettinelli, T.Adarabioyo, Nkunku, Sancho, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Mykhaylo Mudryk, Filip Jørgensen, Roméo Lavia, Renato Veiga