Independent:
Leicester City 0 Chelsea 3
Chelsea shine without Diego Costa to secure comfortable victory over struggling Leicester
The Blues were in emphatic form as they cruised to an impressive away win at the King Power Stadium
Simon Hart King Power Stadium
There may be a question mark against the future of their leading scorer but at the King Power Stadium this evening Chelsea looked anything but a team in crisis as they produced an impressively clinical display to defeat Leicester City and regain their seven-point lead at the Premier League summit.
Chelsea had gone into this game without the 14-goal Diego Costa, missing after his midweek row with a club fitness coach and manager Antonio Conte, and with their advantage cut to four points by Tottenham’s lunchtime victory over West Bromwich Albion.
Their pursuers will have hoped for a wobble but instead Conte’s men showed their mettle.
Wing-back Marcos Alonso scored a goal early in each half and Pedro added a third as Chelsea delivered an impressive statement of intent in their first league outing since defeat at Tottenham Hotspur 10 days ago.
Yes, in the final third, they missed their big striker’s presence but their unity and focus was not found wanting. This is a very different Chelsea from that which rolled over feebly in their last league fixture at the King Power Stadium 13 months ago – a 2-1 defeat that provided the last act of Jose Mourinho’s reign on a night the Portuguese accused his players of betraying him.
Chelsea are arguably facing their biggest crisis since then with Costa reportedly pondering a £30m salary in China, though Conte played a straight bat when asked about the striker in his pre-match television interview. “On Tuesday, Diego stopped training with a pain in his back and then in the week he didn’t train with us,” said the Italian.
As in the only previous league fixture Costa had missed this season, the 3-0 victory at Bournemouth, Eden Hazard operated as the Londoners’ central attacker, flanked by Willian and Pedro, and the Belgian was immediately influential in the creation of the opening goal.
From Cesar Azpilicueta’s far-post ball into the box, Pedro knocked the back across, Hazard laid it off and Alonso swept it imperiously into the far corner.
Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri had matched Chelsea’s system with three at the back – Christian Fuchs joining Robert Huth and Wes Morgan in the central defence – and Marc Albrighton and Ben Chilwell operating as wing-backs. The final result would suggest Ranieri’s tactical tinkering did not work though they might have had a goal inside the first minute when Ahmed Musa wrong-footed Alonso but was denied by Thibaut Courtois at the near post. It would be the best chance of the match for the defending champions, now winless in six league matches.
In the tenth minute the King Power Stadium was lit up by the lights of thousands of mobile phones – a salute to Alan Birchenhall, the Seventies favourite-turned-matchday cheerleader here who suffered a heart attack on Thursday. It was Chelsea who illuminated the contest in the second half as they found another gear.
Six minutes after the restart, Alonso doubled the lead when Willian’s partially cleared free-kick reached the Spaniard on the edge of the box and his drive flew past Kasper Schmeichel via a deflection off Wes Morgan.
Alonso almost completed a hat-trick with a terrific volley which flew an inch wide and Pedro showed the confidence coursing back through this Chelsea team in the lead-up to the third goal. Collecting a pass from Victor Moses, he delivered a brilliant back-heel touch to release Willian on the left side of the box and when the Brazilian’s attempted chip flew into the air off Schmeichel, Pedro nodded the ball over the line.
Not bad for a team in the midst of a "crisis".
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Observer:
Chelsea bandwagon rolls on as Marcos Alonso double sees off Leicester
Leicester 0 - 3 Chelsea
Paul Doyle at the King Power Stadium
If Antonio Conte was shocked this week by Diego Costa’s reaction to a transfer offer from China, the manager enjoyed a pleasant surprise here thanks to Marcos Alonso. The Spanish wing-back struck two goals as Chelsea made light of their top scorer’s absence and inflicted a heavy defeat on the team whose title they intend to take. A later goal by Pedro emphasised the point.
The line from Conte is that Costa was unavailable here because of pain in his back but the whiff around the absence of the Premier League’s leading scorer highlighted what a pain in the neck China risks becoming to English clubs. But Chelsea’s immediate task here was to respond to domestic threats. They did so emphatically, even if Leicester’s resistance was feeble.
Chelsea’s winning streak had been brought to a shuddering end in their last league match by Tottenham Hotspur, who moved even closer to the leaders by mauling West Bromwich Albion in Saturday’s early game. Chelsea restored their lead at the top of the table by outclassing the flagging champions.
Without Costa Chelsea deployed Willian in a fluid front three, just as he had done on Boxing Day, when Chelsea were deprived of the striker by suspension but still proved too strong for Bournemouth, winning 3-0. Here, too, the relentless movement and mischief-making of the Brazilian, Pedro and Eden Hazard ensured they had a fearsome attack. Leicester were toothless. They, at least, need not worry about anyone bidding for their main striker, not with Jamie Vardy in this form.
In fairness to Leicester they were shorn of more players than Chelsea, with Riyad Mahrez, Islam Slimani and Daniel Amartey at the Africa Cup of Nations. But Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the tournament in Gabon meant that Ahmed Musa and Wilfred Ndidi were available here. Ndidi’s first league appearance since his £15m purchase from Genk provided a handy opportunity to compare him with N’Golo Kanté, the man who left a void in Leicester’s midfield when lured away by Chelsea’s riches after helping City win last season’s title.
The Frenchman was given a warm welcome back by Leicester fans, who used to refer him affectionately as “the Kanté twins” because his dynamism made him akin to two players. Claudio Ranieri sought to outnumber him here and counter Chelsea’s other threats by switching to a 3-5-2 formation, with Ndidi, Nampalys Mendy and Danny Drinkwater deployed in the middle. Ranieri later explained that the ploy had worked in the second half of the sides’ meeting at Stamford Bridge this season and insisted that it worked well here, too, even though the result was another 3-0 defeat.
In truth, Leicester rarely bothered Chelsea after the second minute, when Courtois had to make a smart save from Musa. Then Chelsea flexed their muscles and Leicester wilted.
In the sixth minute a cross from the right by Azpilicueta triggered chaos in Leicester’s three-man central defence, where Hazard summoned the poise to apply a telling touch. While all around him panicked, the Belgian tamed a loose ball and rolled it calmly to Alonso, who scored with an impeccable curling finish of which Costa would have been proud.
Chelsea controlled proceedings after that. Leicester did not seem at ease with their new system, their discomfort exacerbated by the visitors’ slickness. Not until the 36th minute did the hosts so much as fluster the Chelsea defence again but no Leicester player was on hand to take advantage of a vicious cross by Vardy, which Courtois intercepted with difficulty.
That faint chance was Leicester’s clearest sight of an equaliser before the break. Ranieri decided against tinkering during the interval, seemingly confident that his side could creep back into the game so long as they did not let Chelsea go farther ahead. Six minutes into the second half that theory was binned. And Alonso’s stock soared even higher.
After a foul by Christian Fuchs on Willian, the latter floated a free-kick into the Leicester box. Again the attempted clearance was flawed and when the ball broke to Alonso at the edge of the area, he trapped it with one touch before lashing it into the net, a deflection off Wes Morgan helping to confound Kasper Schmeichel.
That was Ranieri’s cue to scrap his original plan and revert to a more familiar 4-4-2 formation, with Shinji Okazaki coming on for Robert Huth. But getting back into the game would entail subduing visitors who were starting to revel. Gary Cahill exemplified that in the 61st minute with an overhead kick at goal. Fuchs’s block foiled a splendid effort but no one could get in the way of a spectacular 18-yard volley by Alonso moments later that whizzed inches past the far post.
Chelsea gave themselves further cause for celebration with a third goal that resembled a party trick. In one movement at the edge of the area Pedro spun and back-heeled the ball to the overlapping Willian, who clipped it over Schmeichel and back into the path of Pedro, who nodded into the empty net.
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Telegraph:
Leicester City 0 Chelsea 3: Marcos Alonso stars as Blues demolish Foxes
Sam Wallace
The nature of the modern Chelsea is that even the calmest waters can quickly give way to stormy conditions so when Antonio Conte’s first player rebellion blew through Cobham this week, the Italian manager will have known he needed a robust response and a solid victory to follow.
In the aftermath of Diego Costa’s one-man insurrection, Conte delivered the first and his team came up with the second. The Brazilian-born striker was not in the squad that travelled to Leicester after a dispute with a fitness coach at the club which spilled over into another with his manager who, even without his leading goalscorer, went on to win this game emphatically.
The club’s policy is to avoid isolating Costa in the hope that they can bring him back into the fold with a minimum of fuss, although there is considerable anger at the way in which his head has been turned by a badly-timed offer from China.
Afterwards, Conte adhered to a party-line that Costa had an injury, although he refused to confirm one way or the other whether there had been a row between the two of them. He began his press conference by politely requesting a bite from a reporter’s slice of complimentary Leicester City press-room cake, complaining that he had been given no chance to eat all afternoon. Having helped himself to a mouthful, Conte then went on to sidestep every direct question on the nature of his relationship with Costa – a definite case, you might say, of him having his cake and eating it.
An astute tactician, Conte is also proving himself a shrewd manager when it comes to dealing with the tantrums of his star players. There is no question that the club are privately furious at Costa’s behaviour and that Conte’s dispute with his player on the training ground precipitated his exclusion from the team, but there is complete certainty at the club that there will no sale of Costa to China this month.
Instead they want to find a way back for him and will not allow the situation to escalate into the kind of stand-off that West Ham, for example, are currently locked in with Dimitri Payet.
This victory was a necessary show of strength from manager and team that puts them back on course after that defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at the beginning of the month. There were two rare goals from Marcos Alonso to send Chelsea on their way to a 13th league victory in their last 14 games that puts them seven points clear of Spurs in second place.
Conte will not want to play Eden Hazard as a centre-forward, as he did at the King Power, for the remaining 17 games of the season but it was an effective alternative on this occasion.
Conte’s players controlled Leicester in a fixture which, last season, precipitated Chelsea’s sacking of Jose Mourinho in December 2015. There was a third goal from Pedro, and Jamie Vardy in particular was a peripheral figure for Ranieri who switched to a three-man defence and then a four-man defence in an attempt to break down his fellow Italian’s side.
The Leicester manager said that aside from the two Alonso goals his team had played well but really they barely created a chance worthy of the name. Up against their old boy N’Golo Kante, who showed them the kind of stability they once had, the club are in 15th position and only five points off the relegation places.
While the supporters showed their support for their popular former player, and ambassador, Alan Birchenall, who suffered a heart attack on Friday, they were subdued. Ranieri became the latest manager to adapt to the system of the Chelsea manager, switching to a three-man defence augmented by wing-backs, and they barely had time to get used to the new formation before the first goal was scored.
The ball was moved sharply by Chelsea outside the Leicester box before it went right to Cesar Azpilicueta whose delivery from wide areas has been such a major asset for his team. Pedro was first to the cross and when it dropped, Hazard unselfishly stroked the ball to Alonso, in a better position to shoot past Kasper Schmeichel.
It was a great start for Chelsea and they kept Ranieri’s side at arm’s length for much of the game. The Leicester manager had Marc Albrighton and Ben Chilwell as his wing-backs but they rarely got into advanced positions.
Starting in a midfield three, Wilfred Ndidi, the £15 million singing from Genk, looked the part but later, when Ranieri changed again, he found himself at centre-back.
In midfield, Nemanja Matic and Kante were outstanding. Conte will have felt that his team got the balance of decisions against them, including the sliding tackle from Chilwell that forced Victor Moses to jump out of the way but went unpunished.
Whatever plans Ranieri might have had for the comeback at half-time, they were swiftly deflated by Chelsea’s second goal, another for Alonso. Willian’s free-kick from the right, which he had won himself, fell to Alonso who took a touch and struck a fine shot that Schmeichel would have saved were it not for a heavy deflection off Wes Morgan.
At that point, Ranieri went for a wholesale reorganisation that started with the centre-back Robert Huth being replaced by striker Shinji Okazaki. Leicester reverted to an orthodox back four with Ndidi at centre-back and Albrighton moved to right-back and then later replaced. Although not before many in a home shirt had looked thoroughly confused and sought urgent guidance from their manager.
The third goal was not long after that, a brilliant flick in the box from Pedro redirecting Kante’s ball into the path of Willian on the right. His cut-back spun up off Schmeichel and Pedro was in the ideal position to lob a header gently out of reach and into the far corner.
After that Leicester were kept at bay by a Chelsea defence that was dominant. Conte could afford to bring off Hazard, Willian and Pedro before the end of the game and afterwards the Chelsea manager strode onto the pitch to celebrate with the away fans.
He even stopped to sign autographs for the Leicester contingent. If it was intended to show he is calm and in control despite the events of the week, it certainly had the desired effect.
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Mail:
Leicester 0-3 Chelsea: Antonio Conte's men shrug off Diego Costa's absence as Marcos Alonso and Pedro help the Blues back to winning ways
By Rob Draper
It wasn’t the fact that Pedro scored which was significant. After all, the momentum was inexorably flowing in Chelsea’s direction by the time he hit the third. A once-rabid Leicester had been tamed, a poodle by comparison to last season’s attack dogs. There seemed no way back for them even before Pedro pounced.
What was noticeable, though, with the match won and a seven-point lead re-established at the top of the table, every single Chelsea outfield player rushed to congratulate the former Barcelona forward.
A knot of 10 players celebrated in front of the travelling fans, almost as if to suggest that nothing could disrupt a growing team unity. Later Antonio Conte led all his players over to celebrate with and acknowledge the supporters.
Whether Diego Costa longed to be part of the group hug remains to be seen. Officially he is injured and unable to travel because of his back. Whether that pain was caused by counting the sizeable amount of Chinese Yuan which will be deposited in his bank account should he ever move to Tianjin Quanjian is not clear. Whatever, Chelsea seem to think his back will have recovered for him to face Hull next Sunday.
Difficult though it is to judge anyone who might have the chance to triple his salary, you have to feel Costa would be extraordinarily foolish not to do all he can to ensure that he does quickly resume his role for the club.
For this is not a Chelsea season which most people would want to duck out of halfway through. Last season, maybe, but not this one. There will doubtless be twists and turns as six clubs battle for one trophy and four Champions League spots. But yet again Chelsea demonstrated that they are the side most comfortable in the spotlight.
The ease with which they disposed of last season’s champions was a reassertion of their credentials after defeat by Tottenham 10 days previously. That loss will not precipitate some kind of collapse.
There is no easy way in which to confound their back three, no magic formula to expose them. Conte’s team will fight to the finish and they are the team to catch. From the start yesterday, it was often all too easy for Chelsea. Nemanja Matic and N’Golo Kante, the latter warmly received on his return to the King Power, were frequently allowed to stroll through midfield and find their forward men.
Claudio Ranieri had switched to a back three to match his compatriot Conte’s set-up. Yet the net result was simply more space for Chelsea and an uncharacteristic lack of cohesion from Leicester.
It was a far cry from the equivalent fixture 13 months ago. Then, Leicester in their pomp, saw off Chelsea 2-1 and accounted for Jose Mourinho, a result which at the time seemed to symbolise the inverted order of the world. Here was a reversion to the established hierarchy.
It hardly helped Leicester that they conceded before even gaining a foothold in the match. Cesar Azpilicueta lifted a ball into the box aimed at Pedro and though the Spain forward couldn’t properly connect, the ball ended up at the feet of Eden Hazard. As Leicester panicked, Hazard touched a lovely ball into the path of Marcos Alonso, who finished decisively in just the sixth minute.
That made Leicester’s task all the more difficult. For long periods, Chelsea were able to stroke the ball around in midfield. Slowly, though, Leicester managed to make something of an impact. Ben Chilwell’s header on 17 minutes from a Marc Albrighton cross fell wide, but it at least offered hope.
And there was Jamie Vardy turning his England team-mate Gary Cahill on 37 minutes and delivering a cross which momentarily had goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois flummoxed.
Chelsea defender David Luiz stretched to intercept, but stopped at the final moment, realising the potential to turn the ball into his own net. That surprised Courtois, who reacted late, but he managed to push the ball away.
It wasn’t much but it was at least an indication to Leicester of some vulnerabilities at which to aim in the second half. Yet any hope of re-establishing the revolutionary zeal of last season was soon quashed.
In the 51st minute Willian floated in a free kick, Luiz attempted to get his head on the ball and, in the melee, the ball deflected out to Alonso, who scored from the edge of the box.
In fairness to Leicester, had it not been for a significant deflection off the legs of Wes Morgan, Kasper Schmeichel would have saved it. Even given the change of trajectory, he got a hand to it but it wasn’t enough. Chelsea, already superior, now looked unlikely to be challenged.
They were so relaxed that central defender Cahill even attempted an overhead kick from a Willian corner in the 61st minute. And then Alonso tried an audacious strike from outside the box on 63 minutes for what would have been a highly unlikely hat-trick. It only just cleared the far post.
The third goal came in the 71st minute. Kante fed Pedro, who executed a delightful flick to set up Willian. Schmeichel tried to close the angle, but the Brazilian simply flicked the ball over him and back to Pedro, who headed in for 3-0
LEICESTER (3-5-2): Schmeichel; Morgan, Huth (Okazaki, 6), Fuchs, Chilwell, Mendy, Drinkwater, Ndidi, Albrighton (Simpson, 77), Musa (Gray, 71), Vardy
Subs not used: Kapustka, King, Wasilewski, Zieler
Booked: Fuchs
CHELSEA (3-4-3): Courtois; Azpilicueta, David Luiz, Cahill, Moses, Kante, Matic, Alonso, Willian (Batshuayi, 84), Hazard (Fabregas, 79), Pedro (Loftus-Cheek, 84)
Subs not used: Begovic, Ivanovic, Zouma, Chalobah
Goals: Alonso (6, 51), Pedro (71)
MOTM: Alonso
Referee: Andre Marriner
=====================================
Express:
Leicester 0 - Chelsea 3: Marcos Alonso and Pedro down Premier League champions
WHO needs Diego Costa when you have a couple of other Spanish aces to score the goals to keep flying high at the top of the Premier League?
By JIM HOLDEN
Wing-back Marcos Alonso scored early in each half to give Chelsea control of the game, and the clinching third goal came from the more likely source of former Barcelona star Pedro.
Victory made it a perfect day for manager Antonio Conte after a difficult week and the internal bust-up with temperamental striker Costa.
If there is going to be a power battle at Stamford Bridge, he will win it.
Chelsea’s travelling fans started the match singing “Antonio, Antonio” in honour of manager Conte, letting everybody know where their prime loyalty lies if there is any lingering conflict with the missing No.9.
The Spanish striker has a back injury, but there was also a midweek flare-up with one of the Chelsea backroom staff which led to the player being left out of the squad for this game.
Conte’s solution to being without his top scorer was to play without a recognised centre forward and allow Eden Hazard and Willian to roam free in the attacking areas.
They were, in modern football terminology, almost two ‘false nines’ – and their speed and trickery was an instant problem for Leicester and their giant and far less mobile central defenders Wes Morgan and Robert Huth.
Chelsea took the lead after just six minutes, as a pass from Hazard gave an easy chance to wing back Alonso, who steered home a simple shot from 10 yards range.
Home keeper Kasper Schmeichel raged about the hapless defending in front of him when the initial cross arrived from Cesar Azpilicueta, and it was impossible not to sympathise. Before the game the two Italian managers, Conte and Leicester’s Claudio Ranieri, had embraced in the tunnel; clearly old friends and rivals from battles in Serie A.
They share a passion for tactics, and Ranieri had given a Premier League debut to new signing Wilfred Ndidi, a £15million midfielder as he switched to a 3-5-2 system with Marc Albrighton and youngster Ben Chilwell as the wing-backs.
Maybe it was part of his solution to losingstar winger Riyad Mahrez to the African Cup of Nations tournament, but surely also to rival Chelsea for numbers in midfield.
After the setback of conceding the early goal, Ranieri’s team worked their way into the game.
In some moments you could believe they are defending champions as Jamie Vardy scampered with pace and menace at the Chelsea rearguard. They were only moments, though.
Chelsea dominated possession, and might have scored with a clever free-kick routine that saw Pedro send the final shot flying wide of goal.
Their fans also launched into a brief chant of “Diego, Diego”, a message to Costa to settle whatever troubles he has at Stamford Bridge.
Six minutes into the second half the praise was ringing for another Spaniard, the previously unconsidered goal machine Alonso. The left wing-back has been the most unlikely hero of Chelsea’s season, and now he scored his second goal of the game as Leicester defended miserably again at a corner.
The ball fell to Alonso on the edge of the area and his drilled low shot nestled in the net via a deflection off home skipper Morgan.
Chelsea had needed a strong response to their previous league match, the defeat against Spurs that had ended their record-breaking 13-match winning sequence.
Big wins earlier yesterday afternoon for Tottenham and Arsenal, both 4-0 winners, also added to the pressure here along with the Costa internal squabble.
If a character test was required, well, Conte and his players passed it with a collective show of strength and poise.
With his team 2-0 down, Ranieri had to gamble.
His decision was to bring on Shinji Okazaki and dispense with Huth, which meant Albrighton becoming one of three central defenders – surely a first for the man who has always been a fleet- footed winger.
Chelsea were dominant now. Alonso was on a hat-trick, and he almost completed it with a superb volley that shaved the post in the 65th minute.
A third goal came in the 71st minute, an inevitable consequence of endless Chelsea pressure.
It was another pinball episode in the Leicester penalty box that ended with all the home rearguard out of place and the diminutive Pedro nodding into an empty net.
It was the simplest of goals, and a simple truth remains about this season. It is that it will prove formidably difficult to knock Chelsea off their perch at the top of the table.
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Mirror:
Leicester 0-3 Chelsea: Marcos Alonso strikes twice as Blues brush off Diego Costa absence
The Spanish left-back got himself on the scoresheet twice before Pedro sealed the win as Antonio Conte's men reestablished their dominance at the top
BY JOHN CROSS
Antonio Conte found an unlikely replacement for bad boy striker Diego Costa as Chelsea re-established their seven point lead at the top of the Premier League.
Chelsea wing back Marcos Alonso scored in both halves as the runaway leaders saw off Claudio Ranieri’s faltering champions in convincing fashion.
Costa was left at home after his row with Conte over his fitness and having had his head turned by a huge £560,000-a-week offer from China.
But, in truth, Chelsea coped without him as Alonso gave them a sixth minute lead and then doubled it with a shot which defected in off Leicester captain Wes Morgan after 51 minutes.
Alonso, who had only scored once previously since his £23m move in the summer, nearly grabbed an unlikely hat trick when another fierce shot fizzed wide.
Spanish winger Pedro then completed the rout with a 71st minute header in a hugely impressive Chelsea win.
1. There’s only one winner in this row - Antonio Conte
Make no mistake - Conte has gone out on a limb and been bold to drop bad boy striker Diego Costa after their bust-up.
Conte needed a good result to help justify his decision but the chants from the travelling fans would have also helped reassure him that he made the right call.
The Chelsea fans love their manager - and rightly so. They sang “Antonio” throughout the game. Conte has won this war.
2. Chelsea can cope with or without Diego Costa
Chelsea’s lack of options up front is a worry especially with Diego Costa’s fall-out.
But you would not have known it from the win at Leicester as Eden Hazard excelled in the false 9 role while Willian and Pedro did their best to support him.
It is not idea, especially with so much of the season left, but Conte’s shrewd tactics and vision can help them keep going. This was a huge win in their title challenge after the Costa fall-out and defeat at Tottenham. A season defining moment.
3. N’Golo Kante rules OK
Here’s a great stat - Kante represents a 50 point swing in points from Leicester to Chelsea from the same stage last season.
You might have expected a few boos and a hot reception for the former Leicester midfielder on his return with Chelsea. No such thing.
There was the odd boo for a crunching tackle on Wes Morgan. No hero’s return. But he won Leicester the league, after all. What a refreshing attitude.
4. Ben Chilwell is Leicester’s bright future
Claudio Ranieri went three at the back with wing backs undoubtedly to tighten Leicester up at the back.
But another thought in his mind must be to get Ben Chilwell in the team because the 20-year-old left back is a great prospect.
Chilwell has got pace, power and confidence. Arsenal and Liverpool wanted him last summer but he stayed at Leicester and is destined for big things.
5. Alan Birchenall is a legend
Leicester fans warmed the hearts of the nation last season during their title success when the King Power Stadium was one of the best most and passionate in the Premier League.
They were at it again with a nice tribute for club legend Alan Birchenall - who also played for Chelsea - as the whole stadium switched on the lights on their phones as a mark of respect in the tenth minute.
Birchenall had a heart attack this week but that moment was really touching.
Chelsea
Courtois 7
Dominated his penalty box and made one terrific reflex save.
Moses 7
Terrific performance once again. Solid defensively and a threat going forward.
Azpilicueta 7
Early mistake quickly forgotten amid another solid defensively display.
Luiz 6
A couple of risky, eccentric moments but generally solid in defence.
Cahill 7
One or two difficult moments with Vardy, but generally so solid. Excellent.
Alonso 9
MotM. Brilliant and unlikely double to help Chelsea forget about Diego Costa.
Matic 8
Absolutely superb, completely bossed midfield and dominated Leicester.
Kante 7
Patrolled the midfield to good effect. How Leicester miss him.
Willian 7
Tireless disp;lay, plenty of running, always looking for openings.
Pedro 8
Provided the assist for the opening goal and scored. An amazing flick, too.
Hazard 8
His running and work rate make him a dangerous false 9. Played well.
Substitutes
Fabregas, for Hazard, 78 mins
Batshuayi, for Willian, 83 mins
Loftus-Cheek, for Pedro, 83 mins
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Sun:
NO COSTA, NO PROBLEM Leicester 0 Chelsea 3: Marcos Alonso bags brace before Pedro seals win as Diego Costa left out of the squad
Sensational Blues tormented Claudio Ranieri's side as table-toppers ensure seven point lead at the top
BY GRAEME BRYCE & RICHARD FORRESTER
IN a week where Diego Costa has dominated the headlines, the unlikely brace of Marcos Alonso and a simple Pedro header ensured Chelsea bounced back in perfect fashion following their defeat to Spurs.
Alonso gave the table-toppers the lead after six minutes when he latched onto Eden Hazard’s unselfish lay-off to bury the ball into the corner following Cesar Azpilicueta’s cross.
The Spaniard then scored his second of the match and his third in Chelsea colours when his drilled shot from 25-yards took a deflection off Wes Morgan leaving keeper Kasper Schmeichel scrambling on his goal line.
Keep up-to-date with all the latest transfer news and gossip ahead of the January window with SunSport’s daily LIVE blog.
Despite giving the visitors a scare in the opening couple of minutes through Ahmed Musa, Leicester struggled to penetrate a defence that has conceded just 15 goals all season.
In truth after the second goal went in, Chelsea turned on the style with Hazard causing havoc in the Leicester defence but it was Alonso who came within inches of grabbing a stunning hat-trick.
A lofty cross fell nicely for the ex-Bolton man who hit it first time on the volley before whistling past the post.
It was only a matter of time before Conte’s sensational side were going to grab a third and it came in the form of the rejuvenated Pedro.
A slick move and deft piece of skill from the winger found Willian who pulled it back to his team-mate and he headed it into the empty net with Schmeichel grounded.
It was a performance of champions by the visitors but for the current champions, much work lies ahead.
FACTS, STATS, GOALS & LOLS
Claudio Ranieri was voted the world’s best coach by Fifa on Monday and drilled his players all week on how to match up Chelsea’s 3-5-2 formation.
Yet within six minutes Marcos Alonso had fired Chelsea in front with the Foxes still finding their feet!
There was a nice touch after 10 minutes when the King Power lit up in support of former Foxes striker Alan Birchenall, watching the game on his hospital TV after suffering a heart attack on Thursday
Fans from both clubs turned their mobile phones into torches to turn the stadium into a glittering bowl, while Leicester fans held up a banner for their club ambassador: “Keep Fighting Birch – Foxes Never Quit.”
No other team in the Premier League has more players at the African Cup of Nations than Leicester, who will be missing Riyad Mahrez, Islam Slimani and Daniel Amartey for at least a fortnight. Ouch!
How the home team could have done with Slimani on the end of Marc Albrighton’s fantastic deliveries, especially one peach after 16 minutes which Ben Chilwell nodded wide.
How long Diego Costa will be missing is anyone’s guess. Claudio Ranieri predicted there would be a reaction from Chelsea after Spurs ended their 13-match winning streak ….. an OVER-REACTION would be nearer the truth
Did Chelsea miss him? Not here but they may do elsewhere. Conte’s diminutive strike force of Willian, Hazard and Pedro sliced through Leicester with scalpel-like precision. Costa gives you the option of using a KUCKLEDUSTER!
Leicester were 17 points clear of Chelsea at this stage last season. At kick off Ranieri’s men trailed the league leaders by 28 points – a staggering 45 point turnaround!
Talking of N’Golo Kante! ….. the tiny midfielder will always be a Leicester legend for the huge part he played in the Foxes’ 5,000-1 title success and rightly received a warm reception on his return!
Next five games
Leicester22 Jan – Southampton (A) – PL27 Jan – Derby (A) – FA Cup31 Jan – Burnley (A) – PL5 Feb – Man Utd (H) – PL12 Feb – Swansea (A) – PL
Chelsea22 Jan – Hull (H) – PL28 Jan – Brentford (H) – FA Cup 31 Jan – Liverpool (A) – PL4 Feb – Arsenal (H) – PL12 Feb – Burnley (A) – PL
DREAM TEAM RATINGS
Leicester: Schmeichel 4, Huth 6 (Okazaki 60, 6) Morgan 6, Fuchs 5, Chilwell 6, Mendy 6, Ndidi 6, Drinkwater 6, Chilwell, Albrighton 6 (Simpson 77, 6) Musa 6 (Gray 71, 6) Vardy 5
Subs not used: Zieler, Wasilewski, King, Kapustka
Booked: Fuchs
Chelsea: Courtois 7, Azpilicueta 6, Luiz 7, Cahill 7, Alonso 9, Matic 7, Kante 6, Moses 7, Willian 7 (Batshuayi 84, 5), Hazard 7 (Fabregas 79, 6) Pedro 7 (Loftus-Cheek 84, 6)
Subs not used: Begovic, Chalobah, Ivanovic, Zouma
Goals: Alonso (6, 51) Pedro (71)
STAR MAN: MARCOS ALONSO
WHAT THEY SAID
Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri: “Today we made a good performance but we lost, and that is football. The changes I made were effective, if you take out the first two goals we played at same level as them.
“We didn’t lose focus, we had to stay very attentive in the box because they move so well. With Pedro, Hazard and Willian we did well but we should have closed the other players down better.”
Chelsea boss Antonio Conte: “It was a good performance because it isn’t easy to come here and play the champions and to win in this way.
“I’m very pleased with all of my players. We showed a great spirit we all tried to help each other with and without the ball.
“Marcos is playing very well but not just today. Today he had a great performance and helped the team a lot but I am pleased for all my players.
“I like to tell the truth and not lie. Diego stopped training on Tuesday because he felt a pain in his back and he didn’t train. That’s the truth.”
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Star:
Leicester 0 Chelsea 3: Marcos Alonso double sinks Foxes at the King Power
MARCOS ALONSO was the unlikely goal-scoring hero as normal service was resumed for Chelsea.
By Paul Hetherington
The Chelsea left back scored twice - his second with the aid of a Wes Morgan deflection - as the champions- elect defeated the title holders.
So Chelsea returned to winning ways after their streak of 13 successive league wins was ended at Tottenham.
It was also the night when Chelsea boss Antonio Conte won the battle of the Italian managers against former Stamford Bridge chief Claudio Ranieri.
Incredibly, it was a result which leaves Leicester - last season’s shock champions - still experiencing relegation concerns.
That shouldn’t happen, but they were very much second best against the team who are firm favourites to succeed them as Premier League champions.
The gulf in class was underlined in the 70th minute, when Pedro headed in after Leicester keeper Kasper Schmeichel had diverted William’s shot into his path.
Earlier, Leicester’s fans lit up the King Power Stadium in the 10th minute with their mobile phones in tribute to club ambassador Alan Birchenall, 71.
The former Foxes player, who wore the No. 10 shirt, suffered a heart attack last week and watched the match from his hospital bed.
And the game was almost lit up for Leicester in the first minute, when Ahmed Musa was close to giving the Foxes a flying start.
His right-foot strike, however, as he cut in from the left was blocked by the body of Chelsea keeper Thibaut Courtois.
But just four minutes later Chelsea surged into the lead.
After a spell of possession, the ball broke to Eden Hazard, leading the line in the absence of Diego Costa.
Hazard set up Alonso for a crisp right-foot finish into the far corner of the net.
N’Golo Kante, busy as ever in midfield, then upset the fans of his former club with a challenge on Nampalys Mendy.
It was a night when Ranieri operated with three at the back in an attempt to match up Conte’s successful system.
But Leicester often lived dangerously defensively against the slick attacking of Hazard, Willian and Pedro.
At the other end, though, a low, hard-driven cross from the right by Jamie Vardy had Chelsea in trouble.
Courtois could only palm the ball out and Chelsea were fortunate that there was no Leicester player on hand to capitalise.
Chelsea, though, could have increased their lead before half-time with a free-kick move straight from the training ground.
David Luiz, rather than shooting, rolled the ball to Hazard, who set up a chance with a first-time pass to Pedro.
But the Spaniard screwed his shot wide of the target.
Chelsea’s control was such at times that they kept the ball, pass after pass, for a full two minutes at the beginning of the second half, without a Leicester player getting a touch.
And they increased their lead in the 50th minute, when the ball dropped invitingly for Alonso to hit a shot with, this time, his favoured left foot.
His effort from the edge of the box took a deflection off Leicester captain Morgan to give Schmeichel no chance.
Amazingly, Alonso almost struck again with a left-foot volley with flew inches wide.
Eventually, Chelsea coasted home, although Courtois had to make a rare save late on from Christian Fuchs’ left-foot effort.
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