9 March 2025
Chelsea 1 Leicester City 0
Chelsea welcomed The Foxes to Stamford Bridge, knowing that anything but defeat would take them back into fourth spot in the Premier League table. For van Nistelrooy’s side, nothing but victory would help in their battle to stay in the top-flight. With games running out, none of Leicester’s recent performances have suggested they look capable of putting a string of wins together.
The Blues started on the front foot and despite having been suffering from a virus, Cold Palmer was immediately involved. He ended up in a heap on the floor with most of the Chelsea team surrounding the referee demanding a penalty. As the replay showed, the hosts’ playmaker initiated the contact before going to ground.
Apparently, only the captain is allowed to approach the referee nowadays but nothing was done about the mob mentality The Blues showed towards the official in this instance. Classic PGMOL, about as consistent as the mind of Donald Trump. The Leicester City manager seemed to be making this point with the fourth official.
Sancho then did well skinning his man before laying it off to Fernandez. He clipped in a cross to the back post but despite their leaps, both Nkunku and Cucurella missed the ball completely. With the way The Foxes were defending, nobody could see Chelsea not scoring in this game. It was like a training game of defence versus attack.
Moments later Sancho got to the byline before looking to cut back into the box. Kristiansen lunged in and seemed to tread on the foot of the winger. He went to ground and the referee wasted no time in pointing to the spot. Palmer stepped up to take the penalty but saw his strike into the bottom corner superbly saved by Hermansen as he turned it around the post.
Maresca’s side nearly paid the ultimate price as the visitors came forward on a rare attack. It was played out wide to Justin, who clipped a cross into the middle. Sanchez came for it and missed it completely and Tosin headed it onto the crossbar with no idea what was going on. Vardy tried to get to the rebound but Colwill just beat him to it as the pair clashed heads.
Whatever signings the club are planning in the summer, if the first position they address isn’t goalkeeper, someone needs relieving of their duties in West London. There is not one competent keeper on the Chelsea books, which is saying something with a roster bigger than the end credits for Schindler’s List. They all seem to have different clowning superpowers to entertain the masses.
Deep into added time, El Khannouss swung an inviting cross into the box. It was heading straight into the path on an unmarked Vardy but Fofana flashed a leg at it and got a timely touch to send it wide for a corner. You would have put your house on The Foxes’ striker scoring from that range had the cross found him, only yards from goal.
After the interval, it was the visitors who carved out the first chance. Vardy shot from a tight angle but struck it so viciously, it stung the palms of Sanchez, who put it behind for a corner. Despite having scored in only five games under van Nistelrooy, The Foxes were creating plenty of half-chances in the capital on a sunny spring afternoon.
Neto thought he should have had a penalty when he went on a mazy run into the box. The referee waved away protests and VAR saw nothing to change that decision. Seeing the replay, it seemed the former Wolves’ winger was already going to ground before the defender made contact with his foot. The hosts were getting desperate for a goal now.
Chelsea continued to pass the ball around, hoping to find an opening. As it was worked to Cucurella outside the box, he took one touch to steady himself, before drilling a shot into the far corner of the goal. Stamford Bridge erupted as it nestled into the back of the net. Now Maresca’s side finally had something to defend in this game.
Given that they had created so little in the match, The Blues were happy to try and manage the game from this point. Passing the ball around with no attacking intent, making the visitors chase it. Not getting a second goal did make for a nervy end to the game, with fans knowing it would only take one moment of magic from The Foxes to make them pay.
Fernandez had the only real sight of goal, albeit from a tight angle. He opted more for power than precision and Hermansen was able to block at his near post. Leicester had seemed to run their tank dry and were struggling to create any chances whatsoever. For the entire campaign, their lack of creativity in the final third has cost them dearly.
The Blues held on for what seemed a massive three points as they moved up to fourth spot in the table, now two points clear of fifth-placed Man City. The future looks bleak for van Nistelrooy’s side but not so much for their West London opponents. Securing Champions League football is now in their own hands, something the club financials see as a bare minimum achievement this season.
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