Leicester City vs. Chelsea: Score and Reaction from 2017 Premier League Match
Chelsea bounced back from their Tottenham Hotspur defeat to beat Leicester City 3-0 at the King Power Stadium on Saturday, despite missing Diego Costa.
Marcos Alonso gave the Blues the lead after just six minutes and netted again five minutes into the second half, with Pedro rounding out the scoring in the 71st minute.
After Ahmed Musa forced a save from Thibaut Courtois inside two minutes, Chelsea enjoyed the perfect start as Alonso fired them ahead.
A dangerous cross from Cesar Azpilicueta found its way to Eden Hazard eight yards out, and the Belgian showed tremendous awareness to pick out Alonso in space for the Spaniard to curl his effort into the bottom corner.
ESPN FC's Liam Twomey remarked on Alonso's strike, while Bleacher Report UK's Garry Hayes noted the effect Costa's absence had on the move:
The setback prompted a significant improvement from the Foxes, with Marc Albrighton at the heart of their positive play. He almost found Jamie Vardy in the area with a magnificent curling pass from deep.
The midfielder then picked out Ben Chilwell, who headed wide, and his superb deliveries continued to cause the Blues problems, as did Danny Drinkwater's cross that David Luiz could only clear straight into Victor Moses.
Vardy came close with a cross of his own, with Courtois needing to make a smart reaction save after Luiz elected not to intercept it for fear of turning it into his own net.
The Blues, who had created little after going ahead, doubled their tally shortly after the restart when Alonso's low effort from the edge of the area deflected in off Wes Morgan.
After Gary Cahill saw an impressive attempt at a bicycle kick blocked by Morgan, Alonso came close to his hat-trick when he fired wide with a well-struck volley from Moses' cross.
Pedro made it 3-0 after playing a sensational backheeled one-two with Willian, and with Kasper Schmeichel beaten. he headed the Brazilian's cross into an empty net.
Twomey hailed the Blues' efforts:
The Blues have gotten back to winning ways and look set to continue in that regard as they face Hull City in their next match. But key games against Liverpool and Arsenal await after the Tigers—they will be a different prospect, particularly if the Blues face them without Costa.
As for Leicester, their inconsistency ensures they still need to focus on looking over their shoulders rather than up the table. Upcoming opponents Southampton have lost four matches in a row, though, so they could be able to pick up a positive result next time out.
Post-Match Reaction
Per football journalist Dan Levene, Chelsea manager Antonio Conte addressed Costa's absence:
He also reflected on the result and the Blues' ability to cope without the Spaniard:
Meanwhile, according to Leicester's official Twitter feed, Foxes boss Claudio Ranieri rued his side's defending: "Against a team with inventive players you expect to have to defend. If we concentrate better, we save the first two goals. You take games like this out of the table because you don't know what can happen. Against Manchester City, we win. Today, no."
He added: "We stood face to face with a big champion and it was tough, but we tried our best. We must be more attentive in the box."
