Chelsea vs. Leicester: Score, Reaction from 2016 Premier League Game

A matchup between the last two Premier League champions ended in a draw on Sunday, as Chelsea and Leicester City closed out the 2015-16 campaign with a 1-1 scoreline at Stamford Bridge.

Cesc Fabregas' 65th-minute penalty opened the scoring, but Danny Drinkwater's long-range blast in the 82nd minute secured one final point for the champions. With Tottenham losing on Sunday, Leicester won the title by a margin of 10 points. Only four teams have ever won a Premier League title by a greater margin, per OptaJoe.

You'd hardly have known that Leicester had long clinched the title, as Paul Hayward of the Telegraph tweeted:

The game, in fact, opened with a guard of honour for Leicester, per Bleacher Report UK:

The Blues were the stronger team in the first 45, holding more possession (58 percent) and outshooting Leicester City 13-7 (3-1 on target), according to WhoScored.com.

Neither club could manage to break through in the first half, however.

The highlight of the first half came off the pitch, when Chelsea fans spent the 26th minute cheering for centre-back John Terry, per Tom Williams of AFP:

Terry's future at Chelsea remains undecided, as he is reportedly weighing his options for next season. He was unable to play on Sunday due to suspension.

In the 65th minute, Chelsea took the lead through Fabregas' penalty.

Nemanja Matic earned the spot-kick for the Blues with a clever bit of skill. Tammy Abraham's shot was blocked but careered toward the edge of the box, where it was met by an onrushing Matic. The midfielder faked as though he was going to shoot, forcing Jeffrey Schlupp to go to ground to attempt to block the shot. Matic then pulled the ball to his right and drew the contact in the box, forcing a rather uncontroversial penalty.

Fabregas stepped up to the spot and sent Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel the wrong way, opening the scoring for the Blues.

But as usual, Leicester found a way.

Drinkwater found himself with acres of space from well outside the box in the 82nd minute and didn't disappoint, ripping an absolute rocket to the lower left corner of the net past an outstretched Thibaut Courtois.

That was just business as usual for Leicester, however, as Iain Macintosh of ESPN FC noted:

Chelsea nearly stole all three points in the 90th minute, as Abraham—on his home debut—created space for himself on the outside of the box and curled a dangerous effort toward goal. He beat Schmeichel, but his effort sailed just wide.

Both Leicester and Chelsea should have interesting offseasons, and they'll be intriguing clubs to watch before the 2016-17 campaign. Leicester will be looking to keep bigger clubs away from their star players, like Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez, while adding to their ranks with quality players in the transfer market.

The club will also have to grow accustomed to playing a European slate of games and to having a giant target on their backs all season long. The Foxes most assuredly won't be sneaking up on anyone next year.

For Chelsea, meanwhile, it will be another offseason of transition as Antonio Conte takes over as manager. That, in turn, will likely mean a philosophy shift in terms of style of play and turnover within the squad. But the Blues are certainly loaded with talent, so it would be surprising if they weren't competing for a title once again next year, especially without European football to focus on.

Post-Match Reaction

After the draw, Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri—formerly Chelsea's manager from 2000-04—spoke about the draw and the remarkable season for the Foxes, per the club's website:

"

It was a difficult match but we wanted to enjoy and wanted to win. It was difficult in the first half and Kasper [Schmeichel] made a very good save. In the second half we played better and created chances. It was an open match. They scored a goal and it was a pity because we wanted to keep a clean sheet. Okay, it's important to get back and we drew the game with a fantastic goal from Drinkwater. Always it’s important and to finish with 10 points more than second was amazing and to finish with only three defeats was amazing. It’s an unforgettable season.

"

He also thanked the Chelsea supporters. 

“It was a warm welcome and I want to thank all Chelsea fans but also our fans too, who are fantastic for us," Ranieri said. "It was fantastic. I think it was one of my best days today.”

Drinkwater, Leicester's hero on the afternoon, also spoke about the contest:

It was a more bittersweet day for Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink, who did an admirable job in his role after Jose Mourinho was fired midseason but will be replaced by Conte over the summer. 

He spoke about that and the future of the club, per Chelsea's official Twitter account:

He also acknowledged that Terry and the Blues were discussing a contract extension, which made him "happy."

In a sense, the result perfectly reflected the campaign of each team. For Leicester, it was yet another game where they recovered a point at the wire in a season that saw them lose just three games. On a day when they needed nothing, they still managed to get something.

For Chelsea, meanwhile, it was a match that really should have been a win in a season that really should have resulted in a far better finish given the talent they possess. It was fitting, then, that the Premier League season concluded with the two most surprising teams this season—for very different reasons—drawing.

You can follow Timothy Rapp on Twitter.