Leicester 0-3 Chelsea: Highlights and recap

Chelsea defeated Leicester 3-0 without Diego Costa. Here are all the highlights from the match.

Despite last week’s loss at Tottenham, Chelsea had seemed poised to dominate the race for the Premier League title. However, that may all unfold in the aftermath of the much-publicized row between Antonio Conte and Diego Costa. The Spanish striker has been instrumental to Chelsea’s success and this apparent schism between the fiery player and the Chelsea coach could spell turmoil for the London side. There are also rumors related to yet another super offer for Diego Costa from the Chinese Super League to the tune of $40 million a year salary. That amount of money would be enough to make a man lose focus and become edgy, especially when that man is already known for his fiery attitude.

Leicester’s season has been a far cry from last year’s miraculous title run. The toll of Champions League soccer has been felt on the domestic front as Claudio Ranieri’s squad has shown it is not deep enough to compete on two fronts. The Foxes had been lingering around the relegation zone prior to a much needed win against West Ham and a tie versus Middlesbrough.

Recap

After surviving a strong Leicester start, Chelsea took the lead in the sixth minute, Marcos Alonso curling in from close range after a layoff from Eden Hazard. The Blues mostly controlled the game after that, but Leicester posed a threat on the wings, and played some dangerous crosses into the box. Outside of Chelsea’s goal, however, neither side created any clearcut chances.

Chelsea completely dominated the second half. Alonso got his second of the match, partially thanks to a deflection off Wes Morgan, in the 51st minute, which ended the game as a contest. The Blues added their third in the 71st minute. Pedro played a delightful back heel to Willian, who crossed back to Pedro for the goal.

Leicester were game opponents until the end, but were soundly beaten and must now be beginning to worry about a relegation battle.

Highlights

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Chelsea extended their lead at the top of the table to seven points, but Liverpool can cut that back down to five with a win against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.