Chelsea held off a late Leicester surge to secure a 2-1 victory in Enzo Maresca’s return to the King Power Stadium on Saturday, moving just a point behind second-placed Manchester City in the Premier League.
The Blues dominated possession from the start and took an early lead through Nicolas Jackson, who made the most of a defensive mistake by Leicester’s Wout Faes.
However, Chelsea couldn’t capitalize on their superiority until 15 minutes from time, when Enzo Fernandez made it 2-0.
Leicester mounted a late comeback as Jordan Ayew scored from the penalty spot in stoppage time, but it wasn’t enough to deny Chelsea the win.
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The result, Chelsea’s first victory after two consecutive draws, saw them move to 22 points—one behind Manchester City and three ahead of fourth-placed Arsenal ahead of the Saturday evening matches.
For Maresca, it was a bittersweet return to the King Power, where he had led Leicester back to the Premier League last season in his only campaign at the helm.
On a rain-soaked afternoon in the Midlands, Chelsea quickly settled into their rhythm.
Joao Felix, making his first Premier League start of the season, had two early chances, first firing wide in the 13th minute and then volleying over from just outside the box.
But Chelsea’s pressure eventually paid off in the 20th minute.
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Jackson got the better of Faes in a physical duel, and after the ball fell to Fernandez, the Argentine played it into Jackson’s path, and the striker poked home with the outside of his right foot for his seventh league goal of the season.
Leicester’s goalkeeper, Mads Hermansen, was called into action shortly after, denying Noni Madueke’s sharp effort, and then saw a disallowed goal when Madueke was judged offside following a cross from Marc Cucurella just before the half-hour mark.
As the first half wore on, Leicester grew into the game, with Oliver Skipp and debutant Kasey McAteer both going close. McAteer’s shot narrowly missed the far post, and Wilfred Ndidi also squandered a chance just before the break.
Chelsea nearly doubled their lead shortly after the restart. Madueke, in a stroke of misfortune, accidentally blocked Cole Palmer’s shot on the line after Hermansen had saved Jackson’s header.
The ball ricocheted out for a goal kick, much to Palmer’s amusement. However, Chelsea did make it 2-0 in the 75th minute when Fernandez headed home from close range after Hermansen saved Jackson’s initial effort.
Leicester’s late hopes were dashed when Ayew converted a penalty deep into stoppage time after Bobby De Cordova-Reid fouled him in the box.
Despite the late drama, Chelsea held on for the win.
Leicester, the 2016 Premier League champions, remain just three points above the relegation zone, and manager Steve Cooper’s woes deepened as he confirmed winger Abdul Fatawu would miss the rest of the season due to a serious knee injury.
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