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Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea welcomed ninth-placed Leicester City to Stamford Bridge in their penultimate Premier League game of the season on Thursday night, 19 May.
The Blues, who lost the FA Cup final on penalties to Liverpool on Saturday (May 14), needed a response to calm their fans down. Much to Chelsea's disappointment at Stamford Bridge, that did not turn out to be the case.
Thanks to the Foxes' spirited first-half display and Chelsea’s wayward finishing in the second 45, the game ended 1-1. The draw sees the west Londoners remain in third place, three points clear of fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur. Thanks to their superior goal difference over Spurs (18 goals), a third-place finish in the Premier League 2021-22 campaign is all but confirmed.
The hosts, who were only starting to string a few meaningful passes together, were struck by a brilliant James Maddison strike in the sixth minute. Chelsea’s sluggish defending was to be blamed for Leicester’s early strike. Four minutes after conceding, Trevor Chalobah went for a pile driver from 30 yards out. Fortunately for Leicester, Kasper Schmeichel was equal to his effort. Chelsea finally got their equalizer in the 34th minute, with Marcos Alonso thumping home from close range.
The Blues improved markedly in the second 45 but their finishing let them down. Christian Pulisic missed a sitter just past the hour mark and Romelu Lukaku failed to call Schmeichel into action even once. The game ultimately ended all square, marking Chelsea’s third draw in their last five Premier League fixtures.
Here are the two Chelsea stars who turned up for Thursday night’s (May 19) encounter and the three who did not:
Underperformed: Romelu Lukaku
Having scored three goals in his last two Premier League appearances, Romelu Lukaku deservedly started at the top for Chelsea on Thursday night.
Lukaku, however, couldn’t quite bring his A-game to the penultimate match of the season and cut a frustrating figure, especially in the first half.
He rarely barged into the Leicester City box and struggled to combine with teammates, making life rather easy for the opposition defenders.
The big Belgian upped the ante in the second half and created a couple of great chances for his teammates. However, he could not lodge a shot on target himself.
Before being taken off in the 78th minute, Lukaku lost two of three duels, ceded possession nine times, and picked up a yellow.
Performed: Marcos Alonso
Marcos Alonso registered another polarizing performance for the Blues on Thursday night. In the sixth minute, he failed to deal with Kasper Schmeichel’s long ball and could not close down James Maddison.
His double failure aided Leicester City taking the lead. Then, in typical fashion, Alonso made amends for his mistakes, firing home emphatically on the volley.
The goal injected him with confidence and he rarely made any mistakes from then on out.
He ended the night with two key passes, two attempted crosses, one clearance, and 46 accurate passes.
Underperformed: N’Golo Kante
For long, N’Golo Kante has been hailed as one of the most capable midfielders in the business. But if Thursday night’s performance is any indication, his reign as one of Europe’s most elite midfielders might be coming to an end.
The 31-year-old played some good passes and worked as hard as he could have, but he surprisingly looked too slow to make any impact.
He lost in duels, often mistimed his challenges, and did not take a single shot in his 72-minute spell. Against the Foxes, Kante misplaced two long balls, lost six of eight ground duels, ceded possession ten times, and committed five fouls.
In the 47th minute, he committed a foul on Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, for which he was shown a yellow.
Performed: Reece James
Right wing-back Reece James’ season may have been blighted by injuries, but that has not taken a toll on his impeccable footballing skills.
The England international remains just as quick, his distribution is just as delectable, and his decision-making continues to be just as dependable.
Against Leicester City, he completely dominated the right flank, not allowing Kelechi Iheanacho and Luke Thomas to make inroads into the Blues’ half.
Additionally, he played an outstanding crossfield ball to Alonso in the first half, which led to the Londoners’ only goal of the match.
The 22-year-old played three key passes, accurately delivered four long balls, and completed all six of his attempted dribbles.
He also won seven of his nine ground duels, blocked two shots and completed all of his six attempted dribbles.
Underperformed: Christian Pulisic
Thomas Tuchel handed Christian Pulisic a rare Premier League start on Thursday night. The USA international disappointingly wasted that opportunity, cutting a clueless figure in front of the Leicester City goal.
Pulisic, who profusely struggled to get involved in the game, got a golden opportunity to win the Blues the match in the 62nd minute. Pulisic, unmarked, received a square pass from Lukaku just eight yards from the Leicester goal.
With the goal gaping in front of him, Pulisic waywardly sidefooted his effort past the far post. He was visibly frustrated after the miss and deservedly so.
On Thursday night, the American lodged no shots on target, lost six ground duels, ceded possession nine times, and committed a foul.
Also Read: 5 best U23 footballers in the Premier League this season (2021-22)
