Conor Gallagher’s first-half red card raised the level of challenge for Chelsea, but suspended manager Thomas Tuchel watched from the stands as his 10-man Blues beat struggling Leicester City 2-1 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
WATCH CHELSEA vs LEICESTER FULL MATCH REPLAY STREAM – LINK
Gallagher was sent off for a foul 80 yards from goal in the 28th minute, his second yellow card in six minutes, and Chelsea looked ready to take on the injured Foxes.
But Chelsea got past Leicester despite losing a man when Raheem Sterling scored a pair of second-half goals and Leicester managed only one Harvey Barnes score.
Chelsea climb to seven points, the same as Liverpool and Manchester United, while Leicester have just one point and sit 19th in the Premier League table.
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What we learned from Chelsea vs Leicester
Special British Pound: Yes, his first goal was deflected to help beat Danny Ward and his second goal was a great serve from Reece James, but the former Liverpool and Man City star looks a lot like the star of the show for a Chelsea side that was missing. . N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic would have had every excuse to walk away with a point or less after Gallagher’s red card.
Gallagher shows lack of composure: If Gallagher was looking to make Thomas Tuchel believe he should be a regular starter over Mateo Kovacic, N’Golo Kante or any other Chelsea player, the manager would have had a better view when Gallagher received his second yellow in the Leicester half. Gallagher could have let someone else foul the ball carrier on Leicester’s counter-attack, but instead he lost consciousness and sent his team to 10.
Just flashes for sad Leicester: Jamie Vardy and Harvey Barnes combined for a nice goal to bring the score to 2-1 and the Foxes will know they were without Wesley Fofana, who seems to be ready for Chelsea, oddly enough, and the injured James Maddison, but those Excuses feel hollow considering the expectations for this Brendan Rodgers project. Not to blame the coach, but the fact is that his chances came against 10 men. Like scoring twice against Arsenal and conceding four, there is a big black cloud around any upside this season (so far) for the King Power Stadium set.
tactical approach
This one is less about tactics as it was the mindset.
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It’s not just that Chelsea got over being sent off in the 28th minute, it’s that the Blues didn’t seem upset for an instant once they’d lost a man. Perhaps that says something about Leicester’s perceived threat, but Chelsea almost instantly reshuffled for a successful 10v11 test.
All that said, thank goodness the Chelsea goalkeeper stood up for the inevitable chances that come when your club is one player short of everyone else!
stars of the show
sterling rahim
Yuri Tielemans
Thiago Silva
reece james
Edward Mendy
Whats Next?
Chelsea play Southampton at St. Mary’s at 2:45pm ET on Tuesday, while Leicester are out until 3pm ET on Thursday with visiting Manchester United.
How to watch Chelsea vs Leicester live, stream link and start time
Start: 10 a.m. ET, Saturday
Online: Stream via Peacock Premium
Chelsea team news, injuries, lineup options
OUT: N’Golo Kante (hamstring), Kalidou Koulibaly (suspension), Marcos Alonso (undisclosed)
Ready to hit the field! 🔵@ParimatchGlobal | #CheLei pic.twitter.com/0ppB84GKri
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 27, 2022
Leicester team news, injuries, line-up options
OUT: Wesley Fofana (personal leave), Ricardo Pereira (achilles), Ryan Bertrand (knee)
Our lineup in London ⚫ 📝#CHELEI pic.twitter.com/YKaW5fRutJ
— Leicester City (@LCFC) August 27, 2022