Chelsea won a second straight league game when they beat Leicester City 1-0 on Sunday but what did we learn from the game?
Chelsea made it back-to-back Premier League wins following their 1-0 victory over Leicester City at Stamford Bridge on Sunday thanks to Marc Cucurella’s 60th minute strike.
The Blues should have broken the deadlock after 22 minutes but Cole Palmer missed a penalty and after huffing and puffing, they found the breakthrough thanks to Cucurella’s goal which saw them move into the top four.
Following the win, Pulse Sports looks at the key takeaways from the match.
Chelsea not out of the woods yet
Chelsea might have put together a two-game winning run in the league but their display against Leicester suggests their poor spell is far from over.
Harambee Stars captain Michael Olunga is among African players plying their trade in Qatar and he also ranks highly when it comes to those earning big money in the Gulf nation.
The Blues’ last two games have been against basement side Southampton and second from bottom Leicester and they were expected to roll over them. While they hammered the Saints 4-0, it was not that easy against the Foxes.
Leicester frustrated Chelsea, who also did not play a free-flowing game, and needed a moment of brilliance from Cucurella to win after Palmer’s penalty was saved.
Leicester shooting themselves in the foot
Leicester coach Ruud van Nistelrooy surprised Chelsea with a back three, which made the Blues a little more predictable for the entire first half and even after the break, until Cucurella’s goal.
That approach also saw the Foxes carve open the Chelsea defence but they failed to capitalise on their opportunities.
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Gor Mahia midfielder Austine Odhiambo has shared a post from a fan linking him with a move away to Tanzanian giants.
Veteran Jamie Vardy had a couple of opportunities but could not trouble Robert Sanchez in the Chelsea goal, the first finding him in the box, and another one from an acute angle that drew out a good save from the goalkeeper.
The struggling Premier League side would pay for their missed opportunities when Cucurella scored in the 60th minute after a neat exchange of passes.
Leicester also failed to get tighter to any of the Chelsea players in the moments leading to the goal and did not close in on Cucurella before he scored. The Foxes will blame themselves for not getting something out of the game.
Chelsea dearly missing Nicolas Jackson
Nicholas Jackson has been out with a hamstring injury and his absence continues to be felt as Chelsea lack a goal threat in the box when he is not playing.
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New Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy has handed a lifeline to the South African-based defender after including him in his squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
This was the fourth straight Premier League match in which the Ivorian was missing and Christopher Nkunku, who played up front, did not cover himself in glory.
The French striker did not trouble the Leicester defence and he also fluffed the few chances that came his way, with wingers Jadon Sancho and Pedro Neto as well as midfielder Enzo Fernandez who looked likely to score.