Chelsea vs. Leicester City: Score and Reaction from 2016 Premier League Match

Chelsea comfortably dispatched Leicester City at Stamford Bridge on Saturday as they won 3-0 to continue their return to form. 

Diego Costa put the hosts ahead early on, and Eden Hazard doubled their lead before half-time. Victor Moses added a third in the 80th minute.

Chelsea dominated the visitors for much of the first half, but the second half was a more end-to-end affair as Leicester played with greater energy and tempo in search of a way back into the game.

The Blues—sporting a back three, with John Terry on the bench—started brightly as they set about controlling possession, and Kasper Schmeichel showed good reactions to keep out a Moses cross that almost deflected in off Christian Fuchs.

However, just as against Manchester United, set pieces once again proved the Foxes' undoing when the resulting corner was flicked on to Costa, who was in an inordinate amount of space having escaped Wes Morgan, and the striker made no mistake in finishing at the back post.

Sky Sports Statto noted the contrast in Costa's form this season compared with last year:

Chelsea maintained their positive approach as they pushed for a second, and the visitors struggled to contain them as they marauded forward in numbers.

ESPN FC's Liam Twomey praised their performance as they pinned Leicester back in their own half, which Squawka Football illustrated:

David Luiz came within inches of doubling the Blues' lead from a free-kick when he rattled the upright, but the hosts soon grabbed a second through Hazard.

After Robert Huth and Luis Hernandez failed to deal with a Nemanja Matic through ball, Pedro was able to flick the ball to the Belgian, who coolly rounded Schmeichel before applying the finish. 

Alastair Grant/Associated Press

Toward the end of the half, Leicester were slowly able to push forward, and the Foxes continued to build some possession after the restart.

The visitors were left vulnerable at the back, though, and Chelsea had an excellent chance on the break when former Foxes man N'Golo Kante surged down the left before playing in Moses, but Schmeichel got down well to deny the Nigerian.

At the other end, Luiz hit the woodwork yet again as he stretched to prevent a cross from reaching Jamie Vardy. As Twomey noted, an own goal would have been harsh on the defender given his performance:

The outstanding Kante almost netted against his former side when Costa's rebound fell to him, but Leicester's Morgan deflected the Frenchman's close-range effort wide.

The Blues eventually found their third when Moses played a sumptuous one-two with substitute Nathaniel Chalobah before passing the ball through Schmeichel.

For Chelsea, the match will serve as excellent preparation for their match with United in their next outing.

Leicester's struggle to replicate last season's form was to be expected, but they would have hoped to be doing better at this stage, and their lack of defensive cohesion is a serious concern.

They'll need to bounce back against Crystal Palace in their next league outing, and November—in which they face West Bromwich Albion, Watford and Middlesbrough—will be crucial for getting them back on track for a top-half finish.

Post-Match Reaction

Per Sky Football, Blues boss Antonio Conte was delighted with his side's display:

According to the Foxes' official Twitter feed, Leicester counterpart Claudio Ranieri was frustrated with their performance:

Per Leicester, he added: "Now we have to react because Tuesday [against FC Copenhagen] is an important match against a well organised team. We must be hungrier."