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First-half goals from Wilfred Ndidi and James Maddison helped Leicester City register a 2-0 victory over Chelsea at the King Power Stadium on Tuesday.
Both sides picked up victories over the weekend and were looking to end the midway point of the campaign on a high. However, it was the hosts who took all three points with what was a convincing victory.
Leicester City made a bright start to the game, with a half-cleared cross turned in by Wilfred Ndidi. The Nigeria international showed great technique to control his half-volleyed, left-footed shot into the back of the net, with the ricochet off the post leaving Edouard Mendy stranded.
Chelsea's best chances came from set-pieces, but they failed to make the most of Mason Mount's deliveries. Callum Hudson-Odoi had a golden opportunity to draw the hosts level in the 33rd minute but he only struck the side net.
A penalty was then awarded to Chelsea after Jonny Evans fouled Christian Pulisic. However, VAR revoked the decision, with contact having been made outside the area.
Mason Mount blazed the resultant free-kick over the post, and Leicester City get a second goal from the ensuing run of play.
A long ball into the Chelsea box by Marc Albrighton was not dealt with by the defense, and Maddison was on hand to calmly slot past Mendy, putting the home side two goals up.
The second half saw Leicester City try to defend their two-goal lead, although they still fashioned good chances for Jamie Vardy and Youri Tielemans.
Frank Lampard made some attacking changes late in the game, but they failed to swing the pendulum in Chelsea's favour.
A late goal by substitute Timo Werner was ruled out for a marginal offside call, and Leicester City held on for the win.
This victory sends the East Midlands side to the summit of the Premier League and here, we shall have a rundown of five talking points from the fixture.
#5 James Maddison continues good run of form
James Maddison has seen his stock rise in the last three years since joining Leicester City from Norwich City.
An injury-plagued start to the campaign hampered his trajectory this season, but the England international has been in fine form in recent weeks.
The 24-year-old is slowly getting back to his best form, and his goal against Chelsea means he has scored in the last three games consecutively.
This brings his total for the season to six goals and four assists. With Jamie Vardy having hit a dry patch in recent weeks, Maddison's return to form has come in handy for Brendan Rodgers.
#4 Chelsea's struggles against top opposition continues
Chelsea have regularly struggled against the tougher sides in the Premier League this season, and Leicester City once again laid their deficiencies bare.
The Stamford Bridge outfit came into this clash having won just one of their previous nine games against teams in the top half of the Premier League, and their poor run continued with another defeat.
This loss means that Chelsea picked up just eight points from 10 games against top-half teams in the first half of the season.
Their sole victory came in the 3-0 defeat of West Ham, with four draws and five losses recorded.
If we consider Chelsea's loss to an out-of-sorts Arsenal in December, their struggles against top sides in the division becomes even more glaring.
While routine victories are still being registered against bottom-tier sides, the fact that Chelsea usually falter against the better sides in the Premier League leaves a lot to be desired.
#3 Kai Havertz has another game to forget for Chelsea
Kai Havertz completed a club-record transfer from Bayer Leverkusen to Chelsea last summer, and it was expected that he would build on his trajectory to take the Londoners to new heights.
However, things have hardly turned out that way, and the 21-year-old is currently struggling for form and confidence on the field of play.
Having been left out of the starting lineup against Fulham, the Germany international was handed a start at the King Power Stadium. However, he had another game to forget for the Blues.
He struggled to make a mark in the game, with a first-half yellow card for a frustrated shove on Harvey Barnes being all he had to show for his efforts.
Havertz was substituted after 67 minutes without a shot or key pass made, while his passing accuracy of just 71.4% left a lot to be desired.
His no-show here means that he has created just one chance and attempted only one shot in his last six Premier League games. For a player from whom much was expected, this is simply not good enough.
#2 Leicester City send statement of intent to the rest of the league
Leicester City have fallen some way off the highs of winning the Premier League in 2016, but they have routinely proved their mettle since then.
Last season, the Foxes were unlucky to lose out on a top-four finish on the final day, having been in the top three for most of the campaign. However, they have built on from that disappointment.
This term, Brendan Rodger's men have already registered victories over Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal, while a hard-fought draw was also secured against Manchester United.
This victory over Chelsea temporarily sends the Foxes to the top of the table at the midway point of the campaign. While it might still be relatively early days, if Leicester City can continue their impressive form, they could be in with a shot at the title come the end of the campaign.
#1 Is it time for Chelsea to call it quits with the Frank Lampard project?
Frank Lampard had a footballing career that few throughout history can rival. He can genuinely lay a claim to being the best player to ever represent Chelsea.
Having hung up his boots in 2016, a one-year managerial spell was undertaken with Derby County where he guided the Pride Park outfit to the final of the playoff.
Despite losing that fixture to Aston Villa, the Chelsea hierarchy had seemingly seen enough to be convinced that he is the right man for the managerial position at Stamford Bridge.
The announcement made for a dream headline, with the Blues' favourite son ostensibly coming back to take the club to the levels he operated at during his playing days.
It began well enough. Despite a transfer ban, Chelsea still managed a top-four finish, while several academy players were promoted in contrast to what was obtainable before.
Given his relative success in the first year, Lampard was backed wholeheartedly in the transfer market, with over £220 million expended on new recruits in the midst of a pandemic.
Nobody else on the continent spent close to such sums, and it was expected that Chelsea would build on the gains made last season.
However, after a bright start, the club have come crashing down and currently find themselves in eighth spot on the standings- level on points with Southampton and below West Ham (both of whom spent a minute fraction last summer).
This is simply not good enough for Chelsea in any era, much less in one where they outspent all their Premier League rivals.
Results have been poor on the field, while their playing pattern does not suggest any superior tactical drilling on the training ground.
Most damning of all has been the under-performance of the marquee signings of the summer, with Timo Werner, Kai Havertz and Hakim Ziyech all looking shadows of the players they were six months ago.
Several managers of the Roman Abramovic era have been sacked for much less but Frank Lampard continues to get a stay of execution owing to his legendary playing career.
However, with time running out and rivals steering clear of Chelsea, the club might have to take a hard decision over whether it is time to swing the axe on Frank Lampard.
