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Frank Lampard's first victory as Chelsea boss was denied by a courageous Leicester City side that fought till the very end and almost caused an upset at the fortress - Stamford Bridge.
Young Mason Mount experienced what it is like for dreams to come true when he broke the deadlock in the seventh minute of the game, before Wilfred Ndidi brought the Foxes right back in it with a spectacular header on the back of poor marking inside the six-yard box from the hosts.
The Blues, especially the likes of N'Golo Kante, Emerson and Mount, played out of their skin to fight for what could have been their first three points of the season. The latter especially, coupled immaculate technique with desire, application and poise in the middle of the park.
Lampard tried to press for the second goal with substitutions, one out of which happened to be the debut of Willian in his new number 10 shirt. Fair to say, the winger left the faithful gutted with his largely unimpressive display.
Breaking down Willian's display against Leicester City
After an extended holiday period, Willian was finally named in the Chelsea squad for the Leicester game. He came on as a substitute in the 71st minute for Christian Pulisic, who did not have his best game at all.
Since his arrival off the bench, Willian barely made an impact. It was all Leicester City then, with Maddison and Jamie Vardy finding realistic opportunities to take the lead. On all those instances, Willian was found not closing down gaps. He did get a chance to break away as well, but squandered the opportunity by not shifting gears when required.
In the 80th minute or so, he was with the ball, with Emerson and Mount running ahead of him down the left. All the Brazilian had to do was beat a pink shirt with a simple forward pass or a through ball, but Willian took the opposition rather casually.
Few moments later, Willian stood to take a corner, which by many, should have been taken by Mount. What followed? The ball was flat, and the first Leicester defender whacked it away from danger - much to the disappointment of the home supporters.
Twice more, Willian misplaced his passes, thereby summing up his performance as well. It looked like he was far from being 100% fit and ready, and almost as though there's a lack of appetite to win the game from his side.
Analyzing why Willian must be reduced to the bench more often
Simple. Just three goals in a whopping 32-game run in the Premier League last time out is simply not good enough for a winger plying his trade at Chelsea Football Club. If looked closer, his three goals were pretty insignificant as well, with each of them coming when the result was imperative, to say the least.
In the tougher fixtures, his performance levels decreased, and the Blues' fortunes fell like a pile on Hazard's shoulders. The winger doesn't quite possess the same incision and speed anymore. Besides, his counter-attacking instincts have deteriorated too. To add to these, Willian has never quite been a prolific finisher or goal-scorer.
He needs to be dropped, as the more hard working and clinical Pedro remains a better option. Pulisic meanwhile, will only get better with time.
What Callum Hudson-Odoi's return could mean for Chelsea
Pace and precision will be injected to the Chelsea approach, with larger emphasis on making things happen in a jiffy. Hudson-Odoi has a lot to note and remember in the positional and defensive sections of the winger's game, but from what we all have seen so far, there's a world-class player in there screaming to get out and take the game by storm.
In the teenager, Chelsea have a player probably as direct and explosive as anyone else in world football. He may not possess the intelligence we see from modern-day wingers - as with age and experience a lot can be added to his armoury, but Hudson-Odoi is someone who can spark life into proceedings with his frightening velocity and control.
He knows how to flip-flap past opponents and make defenders look like practice cones. Not everyone can bring a team together like Eden Hazard did for Chelsea, but this Chelsea starlet has a final pass, a delicious cross and a sharp scoring boot within himself.
The forward could also benefit Lampard when he opts to play a two-man midfield that requires quicker wingers who can drop their shoulders and start attacks and counters.
With Willian and Pedro not amongst the goals and the fact that Christian Pulisic may find it harder at the moment, Chelsea really need their youngster.
