Leicester City 0-3 Chelsea: Player Ratings as clinical Blues extend lead at the top | Premier League 2021-22
Chelsea extended their lead atop the Premier League table by six points on Saturday. They beat FA Cup holders Leicester City 3-0 at the King Power Stadium in the first game of the English top flight this weekend.
Goals from Antonio Rudiger, N'Golo Kante and Christian Pulisic ensured a perfect outing for the European champions. Edouard Mendy, in the process, kept his eighth clean sheet of the season.
And it was all yellow. 💛
#LeiChe https://t.co/sTXZDUVRf3
With none of the first-team strikers for Leicester City having a single shot on goal, Tuchel's men had a comfortable day at the back. That enabled the high-flying wing-backs of the Londoners to play most of the game in the opposition half. After the second goal, Leicester City seemed pretty much out of the contest.
Brendan Rodgers made some decent tactical changes at half-time, bringing on James Maddison and Kelechi Iheanacho. However, a brilliant overall display by Chelsea ensured all three points and a clean sheet on the night. It was Chelsea's fifth away win of the season as they remain unbeaten on the road.
We're beaten at King Power Stadium.
#LeiChe https://t.co/0HFMojwIx8
Without much ado, let's dive straight into the player ratings of both teams in a one-sided affair at the King Power Stadium:
Leicester City player ratings against Chelsea
Kasper Schmeichel - 5.5/10
The Danish stopper looked very different from his usual self, letting in three of the seven shots he faced on Saturday. He also went into the book for arguing with the referee. Schmeichel should have saved two of three Chelsea goals on the night, though.
Daniel Amartey - 5/10
Amartey was the weak link in the Leicester back-three against the dynamic Chelsea forwards. That led to the Ghanaian losing his position, and he was also caught off-guard multiple times during the game. The centre-back was the first player to be shown a yellow on the night.
Jonny Evans - 4/10
Hands down, he was the weakest Leicester player on the field throughout the 90 minutes. Evans was abysmal even when not under pressure from the Chelsea front three. He won none of his three ground duels contested, and lost possession seven times during the game. He did not play a single successful long ball throughout 90 minutes.
Caglar Soyuncu - 6/10
The Turkish international was the comparatively more stable defender in the hosts' back three. Soyuncu looked confident on the ball, and played without pressure most of the game. The Leicester City centre-back also won five of his one-on-one battles, and blocked one shot successfully.
The defender's only shortcoming proved to be his inability to progress the ball successfully. He misplaced 24% of his passes on the night - a very high percentage for a defender.
Marc Albrighton - 6.5/10
The only reason Reece James held back, unlike Ben Chilwell on the other flank, was Marc Albrighton. The pacey winger kept the Chelsea man on his toes, with his quick feet and positioning. He completed six of his 11 take-ons, and made one key pass, which was almost converted into a goal by Jamie Vardy.
Boubakary Soumare - 5/10
Soumare was already under pressure before the kick-off whistle, as he had to fill the boots of Youri Tielemans. Naturally, the shoes were too big to fill. The new Leicester City signing couldn't contain or even threaten the Chelsea midfield duo of N'Golo Kante and Jorginho. He won just 40% of his duels against the Champions League-winning duo.
Wilfred Ndidi - 5.5/10
The Nigerian midfielder, often regarded as the heir to Kante at Leicester City, had a shaky first half. He recovered well to make his physical presence felt in the second half. He lost possession the most times on the field among any Leicester City midfielders or defenders (22), though. A few of those instances led to key chances for Chelsea too.
Timothy Castagne - 6/10
Castagne's usual role of playing as a false winger was unsuccessful, as he mostly tracked Reece James back in his own half. The Chelsea player found a lot of space, and took a lot of shots during the game. So it was clear Castagne was failing to mark the Chelsea man. Castagne made three tackles and two interceptions during the game, which were decent figures, though.
Ademola Lookman - 5.5/10
As the commentator rightly mentioned, Lookman brought a breath of fresh air to the one-directional attacking force of Jamie Vardy and Harvey Barnes. The 24-year-old attacker was successful in holding off pressure from Antonio Rudiger, and kept possession well.
However, he could only squander his final ball wide most of the time during the game. He was unjustly taken off by Brendan Rodgers at half-time.
Jamie Vardy - 4.5/10
It was a very quiet game by a player who is usually extremely vibrant on the pitch, especially in the final third. Vardy hardly had a touch of the ball against Chelsea. The Blues ensured that the supply to the final lane was cut before any dangerous positions could be taken by the hosts. The 34-year-old Leicester City striker did not have a single shot in the game, let alone a shot on target.
Harvey Barnes - 5/10
Barnes was at the receiving end of a tactical change at half-time by Rodgers. Before being taken off, though, the Englishman did not have a material impact on the game. The only thing he brought to The Foxes' game was his ability to calm down the game in the final third. He was precise with his passes against Chelsea, which he hardly misplaced.
Ratings of Leicester City substitutes against Chelsea
James Maddison - 7/10
Maddison kept Leicester City in the game after coming on at half-time. He was the only player to initiate attacks for his side. The No.10 mostly dropped deep to collect the ball, progressing the game really well for Leicester City. A start for the young winger could have given The Foxes some hope of breaking the resilient Chelsea defence.
Kelechi Iheanacho - 6/10
The former Manchester City striker was brought oninstead of Ademola Lookman for his superior experience. But he was fairly invisible during most parts of the game,
Iheanacho couldn't even get a shot on goal. He had just 26 touches during the entire 45 minutes of playing time. He also won just 25% of his duels during the game, which was expected due to Ben Chilwell's brilliant performance.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall - 6.5/10
Boubakary Soumare surely did not pass the Tielemans test. But Dewsbury-Hall came pretty close, as the young Englishman had a much better game than Soumare after coming on after 70 minutes. The 23-year-old won two of his three duels contested, and had a 100% long ball success rate too.