Leicester City once again on the verge of bottling Champions League qualification after Chelsea defeat

Leicester City did more in the final five minutes than they did for the rest of the game against Chelsea on Tuesday evening.

Having beaten Thomas Tuchel’s side in the FA Cup final three days ago, the Foxes travelled to Stamford Bridge intending to pour salt in the wounds of the home side.

However, Leicester City just did not turn up. Rather, the highlight of their game was a brawl which ensued towards the end of the 90 minutes, leading to a splash of yellow cards from referee Mike Dean.

Leicester City started the week in third place but could slip further to fifth if Liverpool win their game against Burnley on Wednesday.

Chelsea take the points.#CheLei

— Leicester City 🏆 (@LCFC) May 18, 2021

Leicester City fall to Chelsea

The Foxes weren’t at their best when they beat Chelsea in the FA Cup final last Saturday, but they were compact and well organized. On Tuesday, though, they were all over the place. Despite holding the Blues to a goalless draw in the first half, Leicester City's defence was easily breached following the restart.

Antonio Rudiger was left unmarked to score from a corner kick while Wesley Fofana’s tackle on Timo Werner led to a penalty. Leicester were the architects of their own downfall and not even a late strike from Kelechi Iheanacho could spark a comeback.

Ayoze Perez could have also snatched a draw for Brendan Rodgers’ side but he skied his effort wide when presented with a golden opportunity at the death.

Defeat at Chelsea, recovering for Sunday ➕ fans' impact on Filbert Way...The manager's #CheLei reaction 👇 pic.twitter.com/foJSIOrvyt

— Leicester City 🏆 (@LCFC) May 19, 2021

Champions League heartbreak looms for Leicester City

For the second season running, Leicester City are on the verge of missing out on a place in the top four of the Premier League. Rodgers has done a tremendous job since arriving at the King Power Stadium, even leading the club to their first-ever FA Cup triumph.

However, their consistent bottling of Champions League qualification raises serious questions about the mentality of the team and the manager.

“I've said all along, we’ll see where we’re at after 38 games. In the last week, we’ve beaten the Europa League finalists and Champions League finalists, and won the FA Cup," Rodgers said, as quoted by the Liverpool Echo.

"Now we’ll recover and get ready for the weekend. All we can do is get three points there and see where it takes us. The maturity in the team and how they’ve fought has allowed us to get into this position. We know we can win big games, let’s see if we can do it again," added Rodgers.

Leicester City’s defeat to Chelsea means they risk dropping to the Europa League spot, which would be disappointing considering how far they have come this season.