Chelsea controlled proceedings from start to finish at the King Power Stadium Saturday, securing a 2-1 Premier League victory over Leicester City despite a late Jordan Ayew penalty that created moments of tension in stoppage time.
Nicolas Jackson opened the scoring early after capitalizing on Wout Faes’ defensive error, with Enzo Fernandez providing the assist before later adding Chelsea’s second goal in a commanding performance that earned him player of the match honors.
The Blues dominated the opening phase so completely that Leicester failed to complete a single pass in the final third during the first 25 minutes. The home side’s frustrations showed when Wilfred Ndidi escaped with only a yellow card for a lunging challenge on Cole Palmer that Chelsea’s bench vigorously protested.
Chelsea appeared to double their lead through Noni Madueke before the half-hour mark, but VAR ruled out the goal after detecting Marc Cucurella marginally offside in the build-up. Leicester’s first shot didn’t come until the 38th minute when Kasey McAteer, making his Premier League debut, curled an effort just wide.
The visitors’ control continued after halftime, though they squandered a golden opportunity when Palmer’s seemingly certain goal was inadvertently blocked on the line by teammate Madueke. The second goal finally came in the 75th minute when Fernandez headed home after Jackson’s initial effort was saved by Mads Hermansen.
Leicester’s late appeals for a penalty were waved away when Stephy Mavididi went down under pressure from former Fox Wesley Fofana, but they did convert from the spot through Ayew in the 95th minute. The goal came too late to prevent Chelsea from securing all three points.
“We showed great control throughout the match,” Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino said. “Even when Leicester pulled one back, we managed the final moments well and deserved the victory.”
The result marked a successful return to the King Power Stadium for Leicester manager Enzo Maresca, who guided the Foxes back to the Premier League last season before joining Chelsea.
