CHELSEA RATINGS: Edouard Mendy, 5 – Had to make the occasional save from Leicester’s more ambitious attempts on goal, but will feel – again – severely let down by his defensive colleagues who delivered a woeful collective performance that left him with little chance between the sticks. One to forget. Reuters
Reece James, 4 – Man-marking and ball watching were James’ two weak points against Leicester. He will especially be singled out by Frank Lampard after losing James Maddison in the build up to Foxes’ second goal which took the game away from Chelsea. At the other end of the pitch, James got forward but was rarely a threat. EPA
Thiago Silva, 5 – Got forward and forced Schmeichel into making a comfortable near post save when he connected strongly with Mason Mount’s early inswinging corner. But Silva struggled from then onwards – marking was poor and communication between he and his centre-half partner Rudiger was clearly off. AFP
Antonio Rudiger, 5 – Communication between he and Silva certainly wasn’t a strong point in Chelsea’s game as Vardy enjoyed getting the better of both men throughout despite not finding the target. Was caught ball watching one too many times and paid the ultimate price when Maddison struck Foxes’ second. Reuters
Ben Chilwell, 5 – A return to the King Power Stadium to forget for former Fox Chilwell. Pressed forward in his usual attacking style when required, but this left the Blues defence and midfield especially isolated for the inevitable counter attack – certainly not a fault of his own, but an area where Chelsea struggled. Reuters
Kai Havertz, 4 – Another game to cross off the list for Havertz – and not for good reasons. First touches were too often poor and this led to cheap giveaways of possession in crucial areas. Frustration grew and he was eventually booked for a poor foul when attempting to win play back in the centre circle. Subbed off. EPA
Mateo Kovacic, 5 – Wouldn’t mind rewinding time in the lead up to Leicester’s opening goal as he allowed Maddison to drift unmarked and link up with Albrighton before Ndidi smashed home the hosts’ first goal. There was a noticeable lack of urgency from Kovacic. A poor challenge tried to rectify this but only ended up in him being booked. AFP
Mason Mount, 7 - One of Chelsea’s few bright sparks. Was hard-working and delivered some fine crosses from set-pieces that his attacking teammates simply couldn’t make the most of. Will be disappointed to have ballooned a shot from a dangerous free kick position well over Schmeichel’s crossbar. EPA
Callum Hudson-Odoi, 5 – Squandered Chelsea’s best chance of the game when leathering a strike into Schmeichel’s side netting when Chelsea found themselves in an advantageous four on three scenario. Disappointing performance where his involvement was minimal. Subbed. EPA
Tammy Abraham, 5 – A performance that lacked real quality. It could be argued that his involvement in the game should’ve been concluded much earlier than full-time by Chelsea fans. Rarely looked like threatening the hosts’ goal – his search for a first goal this year continues. Reuters
Christian Pulisic, 5 – Linked up smartly with Hudson-Odoi on one occasion that almost led to a goal. But otherwise this was a largely disappointing performance that mirrored the efforts of his teammates. Too often, Pulisic lost possession cheaply and his attempted playmaking moves were cut out with ease. AFP
SUB: Timo Werner (For Hudson-Udoi, 66), 6 – Had a goal disallowed for offside by the finest of margins late in the game. Injected some spark into the visitors’ game, but generally didn’t have enough time to make a serious impact. AFP
Hakim Ziyech (For Havertz, 66), 6 – Stepped inside in the final minute to pull a shot off with his stronger left foot, should’ve instead trusted his weaker right as he had the time and space to focus. Will be disappointed not to have made a bigger impact. Reuters
LEICESTER CITY RATINGS: Kasper Schmeichel, 7 – Wasn’t forced into making his biggest saves largely owing to Chelsea’s poor threat in the final third. But distribution was largely positive, except for one poor clearance that went out of play, and communication between he and his defenders was strong. Fine clean sheet. AFP
Timothy Castagne, 8 – Impressive performances both in the hosts’ half and when playing more aggressively down the wing amid the Foxes’ efforts to take the game away from Chelsea. Put Chilwell under immense pressure as a result which helped to shape the visitors’ defensive woes. AFP
Wesley Fofana, 7 – Outstanding commitment to the cause, and would have raised an eyebrow or two when completing a remarkable run from inside his own half deep into Chelsea’s half on the hour mark to inject some pace into the game. Brilliant in the air too. Reuters
Jonny Evans, 7 – A sloppy tackle on the edge of the hosts’ penalty area is all that denies Evans a higher rating as he used his experience well by making the most of his body to nullify any attacking threat Chelsea rarely posed. His challenge on Werner in the closing minutes while the German looked set to go one-on-one with Schmeichel epitomised the hosts’ solid defensive performance. Reuters
James Justin, 8 – No grudges held against Justin for his solid defensive efforts. He may have come up against an out-of-form Chelsea side, but his awareness of players around him stood out as a key attribute. Came close to scoring with his head too. AFP
Wilfred Ndidi, 8 – A sensational strike from outside the penalty area that fizzed in off the inside of the left post put Leicester ahead with fewer than six minutes on the clock – a first goal for Ndidi since September 2019. Dominated the midfield and allowed Chelsea little margin for error. Fine performance. Reuters
Marc Albrighton, 7 – Crucial in Leicester’s opening goal when sourcing an easy passage to tee up Ndidi – was supposed to be Barnes – on six minutes. Sometimes lacked that end product which took some shine off of his performance, but was generally a reliable option for Brendan Rodgers. Reuters
Youri Tielemans, 7 – A key performance that could possibly go under the radar. So reliable in midfield and rarely wasted possession – a trait Chelsea could have seriously done with amid their efforts to advance play forwards. AFP
James Maddison, 8 – Grabbed a goal, but can count himself unlucky not to have another. Superbly escaped the sleeping Reece James to score a relatively simple strike before half-time, Maddison earlier struck the crossbar when finding himself in a pocket of space and launching a strike from outside the penalty area. Fine performance. AFP
Harvey Barnes, 7 – Bags of pace and energy, but had to hold defensive responsibility too in addition to his efforts in the final third. Faded as the game developed, possibly a result of Frank Lampard’s half-time team talk. Did his job well, though. EPA
Jamie Vardy, 7 – A goal may have escaped Vardy this evening, but he got himself into excellent pockets of space and seriously challenged the poor defensive pairing of Silva and Rudiger. Will be frustrated not to find the back of the net, but his efforts off the ball were worth their weight in gold. Reuters
SUB: Ayoze Perez (For Albrighton, 77), N/R – A calm performance in the concluding minutes to help Leicester see the game out. Reuters
Ricardo Pereira (For Maddison, 78), N/R – Steadily returning to the first team after struggling with a hamstring injury. AFP
Kelechi Iheanacho (For Vardy, 88), N/R – Was granted too little time to make his mark. AFP
