Leicester City Vs Chelsea Match Report

Marcos Alonso scored twice as Chelsea beat Leicester to move seven points clear at the top of the Premier League, despite Diego Costa's absence.

Marco Alonso and Pedro score the Chelsea goals as they maintained seven points lead at the top of the EPL table with Diego Costa absent from this game.

The Blues were without their top scorer after a training ground dispute over his fitness, amid reports he has been offered a lucrative move to China.

That saga did not affect them at the King Power Stadium, however, with Eden Hazard setting up Alonso to fire home after only six minutes.

The Spanish wing-back added his second early in the second half when his shot from the edge of the area was deflected in.

Ahmed Musa had tested Chelsea keeper Thibaut Courtois before his side fell behind, but the defending champions did not manage another shot on target.

Before kick-off, Chelsea manager Antonio Conte had played down any row involving Costa, claiming he was not in his squad because of a back injury.

Whatever the truth behind Costa's absence, the Blues showed again that they can win without the Spain striker, who has scored 14 goals and provided five assists for them this season.

Chelsea initially had to work harder for the points than they did when Costa was suspended in their 3-0 victory over Bournemouth on 26 December - the only other league game he has missed in 2016-17.

Again they used Hazard to lead the line rather than turn to £33m summer signing Michy Batshuayi, who was left on the bench and still awaits his first league start.

Alonso, rather than Hazard, will get the headlines on this occasion, but Chelsea's dominant performance was further evidence it will be hard to dislodge them from top spot.

This was Chelsea's 12th clean sheet in 21 games and, even without Costa's belligerent presence up front, they remain difficult to break down and dangerous when they come forward.

Conte's side had seen their 13-game winning streak ended by Tottenham in their previous Premier League game, but that remains their only defeat since the end of September.

Pedro made sure of the points with a deft header from Willian's cross. Leicester City on a new-look 3-5-2 formation, struggled to find a way back into the game.

Foxes manager Claudio Ranieri, named Fifa's coach of the year this week, attempted to match Chelsea's formation by playing with wing-backs of his own - but his experiment did not pay off.

Albrighton and Ben Chilwell failed to make the same impact as their opposite numbers, Alonso and Victor Moses, and the Foxes struggled to create chances.

England striker Jamie Vardy was back from suspension to lead their attack, but he made little impression apart from playing one dangerous cross and did not manage a single shot.

Leicester are still six points above the relegation zone despite this defeat but, with Riyad Mahrez, Islam Slimani and Daniel Amarty away at the Africa Cup of Nations, Ranieri must find a better blend with the players still at his disposal.

Pedro Scores Brace as Chelsea Make it Twelve Wins

The Christmas celebrations continued on at Stamford Bridge with a relatively comfortable victory over the south-coast side, with the Blues in control and on top for most of the afternoon with the lead taken midway through the first half.

Thibaut Courtois had to play his part in this win, but with Hazard and Pedro especially lively, more goals were always on the cards and they came early in the second half from the penalty spot and in added time when Pedro grabbed his second of the day and fifth of the season.

Presented with the challenge of replacing suspended topscorer Diego Costa for this match, Conte opted to shuffle his regular attacking players rather than give a full Premier League debut to Michy Batshuayi, so Eden Hazard, Willian and Pedro formed the front three. Cesc Fabregas came in for N’Golo Kante who was also serving a one-match ban. 

One of those entrusted to take the attack to Bournemouth, who themselves lined up with three at the back having been forced into a change there due to Nathan Ake’s ineligibility, almost got on to the end of a long ball from Azpilicueta but Pedro did not quite have the reach to bring it down and a corner won was the best he could achieve.

It was, in truth, an unremarkable opening 15 minutes to this Boxing Day game. A booking for the Cherries’ on-loan man from Arsenal, Jack Wilshere, for an arm-up challenge on Hazard was the only other incident in that spell.

Not long after that it needed Cesar Azpilicueta at his diligent best to cut out Bournemouth’s best attack yet.

Chelsea then began to make things happen. Hazard found Moses’s overlapping run with a well-judged ball and the Blues were unlucky not to win a corner, and then David Luiz’s anticipation started an attack which ended with Pedro rifling a shot across the face of goal. The man from Tenerife did not have to wait long to hit the target.

The Blues’ passing game clicked and unsurprisingly it was Fabregas who played a clever and crucial pass through a crowd to Pedro, whose finish was sublime. Turning onto his left foot, he clipped the ball perfectly to clear Artur Boruc but dip under the crossbar for a 1-0 lead. 

The goal came midway through the half but we needed Thibaut Courtois to save smartly from Wilshere soon after to preserve the lead.

The same Bournemouth player then fired on target after Matic’s soft clearance from a free-kick fell to him, but thankfully an outstretched Chelsea boot prevented another test for Courtois.

With 10 minutes to go to half-time, Hazard was dumped to the turf just outside the Bournemouth area. Willian and David Luiz stood aside for Fabregas but he chipped the free-kick onto the roof of the net.

A free-kick at the other end was the big talking point just before half-time. Not for the first time a Wilshere run caused problems but Gary Cahill and his colleagues were very upset when the defender’s tackle was ruled a foul. Thankfully Bournemouth’s attempt at goal only succeeded in bouncing off the middle of the Chelsea wall.

The league leaders had a half-time lead and were doing well in pressing and disrupting the visitors play for long spells, but we could do with more creativity ourselves to be totally confident another three points was coming our way.

Conte’s men started the second half sharply and within three minutes were given a big help towards our win by Bournemouth skipper Simon Francis. His clumsy attempt to challenge Hazard in the area was instantly whistled as a penalty and he had no argument.

 Hazard stroked the ball low into the net with Boruc wrong-footed. It was 2-0 with 49 minutes played. 

It was all Chelsea now. Hazard cut inside from the left but misdirected his shot, and Willian twice struck the ball at Boruc from the right. Moses hit a bouncing ball only just wide with an hour almost up.

Pedro picked up a yellow card that means he will be banned for the Stoke game, and he further demonstrated we will be without an in-form player for that New Year’s Eve game with a thrilling run and shot just wide.  

He and Hazard threatened more goals on the break although there was a warning the job was not yet done when substitute Benik Afobe got behind our defence and forced Courtois into a good save.

The Blues kept the ball and probed away for the remainder of the game and were rewarded with goal number three and our best winning margin since Everton were beaten here 5-0 at the start of November. Pedro, on the break once again, shot low from distance with his right this time and fortune was with him as it took a touch off a Bournemouth player to give Boruc no chance.

Chelsea Vs Bournemouth Lineup for Boxing Day Fixture

Chelsea made two changes to the lineup that won at Palace last week with the return of Cesc Fabregas and Michy Batshuayi as Diego Costa and N'Golo Kante are suspended for this feature.

The have Thiabut Courtois in Goal, David Luiz, Cesar Azpilicueta, Gary Cahill in defence with Victor Moses, Nemanja Matic, Cesc Fabregas Marcos Alonso in midfield and William, Michy Batshuayi and Eden Hazard in attack.

Chelsea coach Antonio Conte is determined to make it twelve straight wins with new formation of 3-5-3 and his weakened XI  for this encounter at Stamford Bridge due to the suspensions.

Also, Bournemouth coach Eddie Howie starting lineup for this game on 4-2-3-1 formation, starts the game with Arthur Boruc in goal, C. Daniels, L.Cook, S. Francis and Adam Smith in defence, Jack Wilshere, Harry Arter, Jordon Ibe, Joshua King and Junior Stanilas in midfield with Callum Wilson in attack.
Eddie Howie looks set to playing in the midfield for this game with this formation.

Let us wait till kick off to know what the game holds.

The centre referee  for this match is Mile Jones.

 See you at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea Beats Crystal Palace to Extend Lead EPL at Christmas Day

Chelsea centre-forward Diego Costa scored our first headed goal of the season, and his 50th Chelsea goal overall, shortly before half-time, and that proved enough for a third 1-0 win in a row and a minimum six-point lead in the table going into Christmas.

It was by no means an easy win in this London derby however, as both sides maybe showed signs of tiredness at the end of a draining week. Thibaut Courtois had to make saves, although not as diffcult as the ones on Wednesday, and it was the Blues who came closest to scoring the game’s second goal when Marcos Alonso struck woodwork late on.

There is now an eight-day recovery period until we play again although there is an added complication for the Boxing Day game of no Diego Costa or N’Golo Kante for then, following bookings today. 

For this game at Selhurst Park, Eden Hazard was back from his one-game injury absence and Nemanja Matic also returned to the line up having started on the bench at Sunderland. Conte had indicated 24 hours earlier that this may be a game to rest odd players at the end of a busy week, and Pedro was among the subs this time so Willian started for the second game running. Cesc Fabregas returned to the bench.

The stage was set for the chance to put more pressure on our challenges as we kicked off the first Premier League game of the weekend, and early Chelsea pressure came down our left. There was hope of a chance inside 10 minutes when Kante was alert to intercepting Damien Delaney’s pass forward from the back but Hazard did not read our midfielder’s subsequent intentions.

Soon after, Kante was spoken to by the ref but the booking that means a suspension came later. There was however a yellow card shown to Palace full-back Joel Ward on 16 minutes when he took down Hazard just outside the area, following a smart back heel from Willian. That had been our best move yet, but David Luiz’s subsequent free-kick was deflected wide safely for the home team.

It was Palace who had the first real chance of the game, when Martin Kelly’s run into space wide on the right was spotted but his low cross was screwed wide by Jason Puncheon.

Midway through the half came the booking that does mean a Chelsea change at centre-forward for Bournemouth on Boxing Day. Diego Costa was carded for a trip so will serve the one-match ban he has for so long avoided.  

Chelsea were under a degree of pressure at this stage of the game, but Hazard was beginning to make his runs and Palace were resorting to giving away free-kicks to stop him.

Still the chances did not come however and the first half drifted on with regular interruptions for fouls from both sides. Chelsea did break well and finally won the game at full time.

Crystal Palace vs Chelsea Line ups

Chelsea made two changes to the lineup that won at Sunderland at midweek with the return of Eden Hazard and Nemanja Matic to the team.

The have Thiabut Courtois in Goal, David Luiz, Cesar Azpilicueta, Gary Cahill in defence with Victor Moses, Nemanja Matic, N'Golo Kante, Marcos Alonso in midfield and William, Diego Costa and Eden Hazard in attack.

Chelsea coach Antonio Conte is determined to make it eleven straight wins with new formation of 3-5-3 and his strongest XI being fit for this lunch time encounter at Selhurst Park.

Also, Crystal Palace coach Alan Pardew has named his starting lineup for this game on 4-5-1 formation going into this game with Wayne Hennessey in goal, Joel Ward, Dimien Delaney Scott Dann and Martin Kelly in defence, Wilfred Zaha, James McArthur, Joe Ledley, Yohan Cabeye and Jason Puncheon in midfield and Christian Benteke as the lone forward.

The centre referee  for this match is Jon Moss and he would take charge of the proceedings.

 See you at Selhurst Park

Fabregas Puts Chelsea to Six Points Lead with Sunderland Win

Chelsea got their 10th consecutive win for Antonio Conte,  who have not been beaten in the league since a 3-0 defeat at Arsenal on 24 September.

If the Italian leads his side the to the Premier League crown, that slump in north London one Saturday afternoon will burnish his myth.

Trailing 3-0 at the pause, Conte switched to the formation that had been his bedrock while in charge of Juventus and then Italy.

Arsenal cruised through the second half and the tactical change went virtualy unnoticed as talk began about how long Conte had left in the job at Chelsea following successive defeats to Liverpool and Arsenal.

A couple of months later - and two Premier League manager of the month awards - the debate is more about how to frustrate Conte's all conquering innovation.

Manchester City should have stopped the juggernaut on 3 December at the Etihad. Pep Guardiola's men were leading 1-0 and had a glorious chance to make it 2-0. The opportunity was squandered and Chelsea hit back to win 3-1. A week earlier, Tottenham Hotspur led at Stamford Bridge but Pedro and Victor Moses struck to end the visitors' unbeaten start.

Since the victory over Manchester City, there have been two 1-0 wins. Hardly spectacular like the 5-0 and 4-0 home romps over Everton and Manchester United respectively but three points nonetheless.

"I am pleased for my players because they deserve this 10th victory for their commitment and work-rate every day, in every training session, during the game", Conte said. "Now for sure we have to continue.

A trip to south-east London on Saturday to take on Crystal Palace is in the offing. Eden Hazard, who missed the voyage to Sunderland, should be fit to return to the line-up.

On Wednesday night, it was one of the putative forgotten men who secured the victory. Fabregas has been one of the main casualties of Conte's 3-4-3 with the Italian preferring the shields of Nemanja Matic and N'Golo Kante in the middle rather than the Spain international's playmaking genius.

With Matic injured, Fabregas has entered and his renowned range of passing has posed a different set of problems for opponents relying on defence.

"The performance was really good and I felt we were very, very strong," said Fabregas after the game. "Now we want to keep winning. Hopefully we can continue like this and send out a strong message."

The 29-year-old former Arsenal and Barcelona star added: "People forget that it's only my second time in my career that I've played this system. My teammates have played it much more, but I'm getting used to it and feel very comfortable."

Home games against Bournemouth and Stoke over Christmas follow the match at Palace. "I prefer not to look at the top of the table," Conte said. "We are doing something important up to now, but the league doesn't finish today. There are still three games before the halfway stage of the season. And then another 19.

David Moyes, the Sunderland manager, is facing a fight for survival rather than glory. Sunderland are bottom after 16 games with 11 points. The safety of 17th place is four points away.

Moyes says he believes the strong showing against Chelsea offers hope. "We can come off saying we have had a right go at a top team," he said. "We got better in the second half and finished strongly. But didn't quite do enough to get something out of the game."

Moyes added: "Their keeper made two great saves. "You need a top keeper and a top striker and we have that here, but so have Chelsea and they are a real threat.

"It's too early to say if Chelsea will be champions. We restricted them to a few scoring opportunities but we couldn't stop them controlling the game."

Azpilicueta Signs New Chelsea Deal

Azpilicueta has signed a new deal with Chelsea football club and the club was delighted to announce the deal.

Since arrival in 2012, no player has impressed more so than Spanish defender Cesar Azpilicueta.

The talented defender has proven himself as a jack-of-all-trades, having played at right-back, left-back and centre-back since his arrival – and impressing in equal measure in each role.

Now, he has been rewarded for his fine form – with Chelsea confirming on their official websitethat the defender has signed a new long-term deal with the club.

The 3-and-a-half year deal will see Azpilicueta remain at the club until 2020 – which has absolutely delighted the Chelsea fans in attendance.

Discussing the deal, Azpi said: “This new contract gives me the chance to continue my relationship with the club, that’s what I wanted and obviously I’m really happy here”

Good news all round, then.

Our landlord thinks that this deal is a masterstroke by Chelsea. Azpilicueta rarely gets the headlines, but he is always stellar – and he will continue to be the main man in the defence for years to come.