LEICESTER, Nov 20: Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante marked his latest return to former club Leicester with a brilliant individual goal to help the Premier League leaders to a 3-0 win on Saturday.
Antonio Rudiger continued his habit of scoring against the Foxes with a glancing, looping header from a corner whipped in by ex-Leicester wing-back Ben Chilwell.
Chelsea could have been out of sight by half-time, Chilwell grazing the bar when he should have scored from an early one-on-one with Kasper Schmeichel, who later denied Kante with his legs.
There was also a second league goal of the season for Christian Pulisic after his entrance as a second-half substitute as Chelsea swept aside a team it battled against last season just to secure a top-four finish.
Chelsea is a genuine title contender this season, having lost just one of its opening 12 games — to title rival Manchester City.
It helps having players of the ilk of Kante, and his goal showed another side to his incredible all-round game that helped Leicester win the Premier League at preseason odds of 5,000-1 in the 2015-16 season.
Leicester offered more as an attacking force after the break as Edouard Mendy made a fabulous save to tip away a fierce long-range shot from Daniel Amartey and Jamie Vardy headed over from close range.
But Chelsea, who stretched their lead at the top to six points before Saturday’s later kick-offs, could have had more as Schmeichel saved smartly from Chilwell and Callum Hudson-Odoi curled inches over.
The Blues had also three goals ruled out for offside, the assistant’s flag foiling Hudson-Odoi, Reece James and Pulisic, who capped his return from injury by slotting home Chelsea’s third from Hakim Ziyech’s cross.
The Blues’ last trip to King Power Stadium inadvertently led to the beginning of the Thomas Tuchel era, a limp 2-0 defeat in January proving to be predecessor Frank Lampard’s final game, and this display was further evidence, if needed, of how much they have progressed since.
It was Chelsea’s fourth win in five Premier League away games, and they are yet to concede from open play – the only points they have dropped coming in a 1-1 draw at Liverpool.
Leicester was outplayed at King Power Stadium and missed the midfield guile of Youri Tielemans, who is out for a few weeks because of an injury sustained on international duty with Belgium. (Agencies)
