Leicester City - Chelsea: James Maddison scored for the third-straight game as Leicester City stoked the fire underneath Frank Lampard’s seat with a 2-0 win over Chelsea at the King Power Stadium on Tuesday.
[ MORE: West Ham beats West Brom ]
The Foxes are back atop the Premier League table with 38 points, though they’ve played one more game than Manchester United (37), and two more than Man City (35).
Chelsea’s now eighth with 29 points, nine points off Leicester and having played more matches (19) than five teams ahead of it.
STREAM LEICESTER – CHELSEA FULL MATCH REPLAY
Three things we learned from Leicester City - Chelsea
1. Change coming to Chelsea? Frank Lampard publicly asked for more from his attacking players prior to Tuesday’s match and again got a whole lot of limp play. This time, though it was the midfield who failed to supply an energetic bunch, at least in the first half, as Pulisic (28), Abraham (14), and Hudson-Odoi (19) have combined for 61 touches in the opening 45 minutes. Timo Werner and Kai Havertz bolstered the performance when arriving for Hudson-Odoi and a poor Kai Havertz, but nothing magic at all. Lampard’s post-match press conference will tell us a lot about his lot and his lot.
2. Foxes tails very much up and Maddison stirring the drink: Maddison only played 76 minutes but that was all Brendan Rodgers needed from his star man, who stayed red hot with a goal in his third-straight game. Maddison has eight goals and six assists in all competitions this season and Leicester has eight wins and a draw in those outings.
3. Reece James struggles at the back: There’s no question that Reece James is a phenomenal right back going forward but he allowed one goal with a lax effort and Leicester had the ball in the net another time but was denied by the offside flag when James failed to track back at all.
Man of the Match: Marc Albrighton
Maddison and Youri Tielemans kept up their classy runs, but Albrighton was really really good and deserves the MOTM nod. Albrighton assisted one goal and had the hockey assist on the other while supplying three key passes in the win.
Leicester City - Chelsea recap
The Blues left Wilfred Ndidi alone outside the 18 for a rip off the inside of the near post and over the line as Leicester City opened up an early lead.
No lesson was learned as James Maddison was given free reign from the same general area in the 16th minute and clipped the cross bar.
Chelsea’s Reece James tried to answer in the 20th minute with a drive into the 18 and shot that Kasper Schmeichel saved for a corner, the Leicester keeper then punching the ensuing set piece.
Blues winger Pulisic led rushes on either side of a big Leicester chance after the half-hour mark, as Vardy found himself 1v1 with Mendy and the keeper denied the striker to keep the game 1-0.
Pulisic won a penalty off a Jonny Evans tackle in the 39th minute but VAR said the foul occurred on the very edge of the box.
Mason Mount failed to get his free kick under the bar and Leicester scored moments later through Maddison as Reece James slowed in his bid to stop a long diagonal ball and the Leicester man pounced on the chance.
It might’ve been 3-0 when James Justin missed a back post bid to nod an Albrighton cross inside the pipe.
Reece James turned a corner kick on goal but it was tame as caught by a stooping Schmeichel.
Lampard took off Hudson-Odoi and Kai Havertz in the 68th minute for Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech. Werner had the ball in the goal off a Pulisic-won free kick late but the flag was up.
