#2 Chelsea do a double over title holders Leicester City, cement the top spot
Chelsea restored their seven-point lead at the top of the Premier League with the win over Leicester City at King Power Stadium. The Chelsea side came back to winning ways in the league after a loss to Spurs at White Hart Lane.
The result also meant that Chelsea have completed the double over the reigning champions for the second time in Premier League history. They had earlier achieved this feat in the 2009-10 season when they beat Manchester United twice to win the title.
Diego Costa's absence seemed to have little impact on Chelsea's title chase as they beat their opponents without much difficulty. The Spanish striker is rumoured to be the target of a big-money bid from Chinese Super League outfit Tianjin Quanjian. But his manager maintained that a back injury had prevented Costa from training and travelling to Leicester.
Marcos Alonso’s double strike and Pedro’s fourth goal in as many matches ensured a comfortable victory for the West Londoners. Both these players have performed exceptionally under Conte’s management. The Spanish duo had more shots on goal than any other player in the match.
Claudio Ranieri, Fifa's coach of the year, deployed a 3-5-2 system to counter Chelsea’s attacking threat but failed to contain the league leaders. The Foxes lacked quality in the final third of the pitch as a result of the absence of the star Algerian duo of Riyad Mahrez and Islam Slimani.
The defeat leaves Leicester City in 15th place in the table and only five points clear of the relegation zone. If they continue this poor form, they might well be the worst title defenders in Premier League history.
On the other hand, the win will surely be a confidence boost for Antonio Conte’s side, who face Arsenal and Liverpool in three weeks time.
