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Chelsea hosted Leicester City in their final home game of the season as the Blues looked to seal the third spot on Thursday (May 19). Thomas Tuchel's side suffered an FA Cup heartbreak to Liverpool at the weekend while Leicester scored five against Watford at Vicarage Road.
Brendan Rodgers' side scored first as James Maddison curled in a wonderful effort from outside the box. It was preceded by some poor defending by the home side, who have now conceded seven goals in their last four home games.
Chelsea were relentless in attack and finally got their goal when both the full-backs combined to get the equalizer. Marcos Alonso, who switched off during Leicester's goal, scored a sublime volley to level the scores.
Chelsea continued their dominance in the second half and created a few decent chances but were unable to score the winning goal. Christian Pulisic had the best chance to put his team ahead but somehow failed to make clean contact from eight yards out.
The two teams ultimately had to share the points but Chelsea succeeded in meeting their final target for them this term, which was to finish third.
Keeping all that in mind, here are five talking points from the game.
#5 Chelsea field probable new-look defense for next season
The Blues' rock-solid defense has been their key to success under Thomas Tuchel. The London side had an astonishing defensive record of conceding just four goals in 13 games, which helped them win the Champions League last season.
With Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen set to leave, there will be a lot of new faces in that Chelsea backline next season. Cesar Azpilicueta is also considering his future elsewhere after being at the club for a decade.
Trevoh Chalobah is one to look out for next season. The 22-year-old had his breakthrough season with Chelsea and featured in 20 league games this term while starting in 17. He was out of the side for a while, which Tuchel explained (via Football.London) was due to tactical reasons. The manager, though, was full of praise for the young defender and fans can expect to see a lot of him next season.
#4 The Blues' striker curse continues
The defense isn't the only position the Blues need to pay attention to in the upcoming window. There were high expectations of Chelsea's big summer signing Romelu Lukaku when he made the move to Stamford Bridge but things have not gone as expected.
Chelsea have had their share of trouble with the strikers over the years. Ever since the departure of Diego Costa in 2017, the Blues have struggled to find a consistent striker up front. The likes of Alvaro Morata, Gonzalo Higuain, Olivier Giroud and Timo Werner have all tried and failed.
With eight league goals in 26 games, Lukaku hasn't been able to reach his potential this season. The Belgian did miss a major part of the season due to injuries and has found it difficult to settle at Chelsea.
With 121 Premier League goals to his name, there is no doubt about Lukaku's attacking prowess. As per the Daily Mail, the 29-year-old's agent plans to hold talks with the new owners about his future. Lukaku certainly has it in him to break the striker curse at Stamford Bridge.
Will he do it? Only time will tell.
#3 James Maddison proves to be Leicester's talisman on the day
It has been a disappointing season for Leicester City, who have failed to book a place in any of the three European competitions next season. There were high expectations from fans this term after Leicester won the FA Cup and the Community Shield last season.
Brendan Rodgers' side finished third in their Europa League group, which meant they had to play in the Conference League. The Foxes were beaten by Jose Mourinho's Roma in the semi-finals, which ended all Leicester's hopes for European football next season.
While the season has not gone how they hoped, James Maddison has been the biggest positive to talk about. With 17 goals and 11 assists to his name in all competitions, the 25-year-old has been Leicester's talisman all season.
The Englishman opened the scoring at the Bridge to give his side the lead. With performances like these, Maddison has made a strong case for the England World Cup squad and will have caught Gareth Southgate's attention.
#2 N'Golo Kante has an underwhelming outing again
It was only a year ago when N'Golo Kante won the 'Player of the Match' award in the Champions League semi-finals and finals. It is safe to say that the Frenchman has not played like his normal self this season.
While he has struggled to find form, the injury gods haven't been kind to Kante. The 31-year-old has started just 20 league games this season due to groin and knee injuries. The Chelsea manager has described the side's third-place finish as 'a miracle' given Kante's injury problems.
Kante's injury issues will be a concern for Tuchel going forward and the Blues will look to get in some new faces in midfield. If the London outfit's long-standing pursuit of Declan Rice and Aurélien Tchouaméni is successful, they will have some much-needed depth in the defensive midfielder position.
#1 Heartbreaking season for Chelsea
It seems like a case of being so close, yet so far in all competitions for Chelsea this season. Liverpool beat Chelsea on penalties in both the domestic cups after the teams played out a goalless draw in both the finals.
If that wasn't enough, Chelsea were only 10 minutes away from doing the unthinkable at the Santiago Bernabeu against Real Madrid. What could have been a brilliant season, turned out to be one to forget for the fans as the Blues crashed out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals.
External factors haven't helped Tuchel's side either, with the UK government imposing sanctions on former owner Roman Abramovich in the middle of the season. After everything that has happened in this very long campaign for Chelsea, it is easy to forget how good they have been.
The London side tasted success in the Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup earlier in the season before making the finals of both domestic competitions. Tuchel's side were also in the race for the Premier League in the first half of the season. It will be interesting to see what's in store for Chelsea under their new ownership next season.
