34 min: Vardy is released down the inside-right channel. He’s free on goal! He opts to chip Mendy, but doesn’t get quite enough on it, the keeper parrying with his fingertips, the ball squirting wide left. So close to doubling Leicester’s lead.
Leicester went top of the Premier League after a thoroughly deserved victory over misfiring Chelsea
Updated
Tue 19 Jan 2021 17.41 EST
First published on Tue 19 Jan 2021 14.15 EST
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Key events
33 min: Some space for Hudson-Odoi down the inside-right channel. He’s got options in the middle, but decides to go for it himself, and ripples the side netting.
31 min: Another Leicester corner. It’s now 0 goals from 98 for the season. Mendy launches long, hoping to release Pulisic on the counter. But Schmeichel has come all the way out to the edge of the centre circle (!) and clears with a spectacular diving header. That’s one for the showreel.
29 min: Havertz is booked for a tug on Barnes’ shoulder, a mixture of cynicism and frustration.
27 min: But Leicester almost immediately come back at Chelsea, Castagne pressing hard and forcing a mistake out of Chilwell. Another corner. It is - thanks again to Sky for this - the 97th corner of Leicester’s season. After the set piece comes to nothing, their goals from corners stat reads: 0 from 97. That’s the worst in the entire division. Like they’ll worry about that if they go top tonight.
26 min: Albrighton, the best part of 30 yards out, isn’t closed down so decides to have a dig. He sends a rising, swerving shot straight at Mendy, who tips over in slightly uncertain style. Nothing comes from the resulting corner.
24 min: Justin steals the ball from Hudson-Odoi and glides down the left. His deep cross nearly drops to Vardy, but Silva is well positioned and clears. A little more height on that cross and Chelsea were in a world of pain.
22 min: Chilwell dribbles down the left and slips the ball inside for Havertz, who can’t quite control in the box, allowing Evans to step in and shepherd the ball back to Schmeichel. Chelsea appear to have steadied the ship.
21 min: But then James plays a cute one-two with Hudson-Odoi down the right and bursts into the box. James reaches the corner of the six-yard box and has a whack from a tight angle. Schmeichel tips it over the bar, then deals with the resulting corner, punching clear. Much better from Chelsea, and a first shot across Leicester bow.
19 min: This is better from the visitors, a nice spell of possession in the Leicester final third. They work the ball efficiently from flank to flank and back, but can’t find the killer pass.
18 min: Leicester are first to absolutely everything at the minute. The first couple of minutes seem an awfully long time ago.
16 min: Maddison is afforded way too much time to line up a shot from 25 yards, having been teed up by Castagne. He aims for the top right, and clips the top of the bar. Mendy wasn’t getting there had it been on target.
14 min: A worrying stat for Chelsea flashed up by Sky: Leicester have scored first in the Premier League on nine occasions this season ... and have gone on to win all nine.
12 min: Chelsea’s heads are addled. Chilwell and Mendy hesitate over a ball that rolls slowly towards the Chelsea box. Mendy is reluctant to come out and get it, but Chilwell, back on his old stomping ground, freezes. Mendy is forced to hack clear. The ball is intercepted by Tielemans, and Chelsea are very fortunate that the Leicester midfielder wastes the opportunity to advance on goal with a poor pass upfield.
11 min: Maddison whips a dangerous corner into the mixer. Abraham is on point to send the ball away from danger.
10 min: Chelsea’s early verve is suddenly gone. Barnes wins a corner down the left. Chelsea desperately need to hold out here and regroup.
8 min: If this game ends like this, Leicester go top. I’m willing to bet there haven’t been too many better goals scored since 1888 that have sent a team to the summit of English football.
GOAL! Leicester 1-0 Chelsea (Ndidi 6)
The free kick’s sent down the left to Barnes, whose deep cross is chested out for a corner on the right by Abraham. Leicester play it short between Maddison and Albrighton, the latter cutting back for Ndidi, who from the edge of the box creams a sensational first-time shot off the left-hand post and into the net. What a goal! Mendy had no chance, and was rooted to the spot.
5 min: Maddison drives down the inside-left channel and draws a cynical heel clip from Mount, who can consider himself fortunate not to go into the book. Too early in the game for the referee’s liking perhaps. But no matter, because from the free kick ...
4 min: Barnes backs himself in a footrace with James down the left. He very nearly makes it into the box but loses control. The ball threatens to break to Justin, haring in from behind on the underlap, but Silva is on hand to intercept and knock clear. Both sides have come out on the front foot.
2 min: Chelsea hog the ball in the opening exchanges. They knock it long. Justin clears. They knock it long again, Silva hoping to release Pulisic down the middle this time. Castagne does well to come across and nip the danger in the bud. A positive start from the visitors.
Chelsea get the ball rolling ... but only after everyone takes the knee. There’s no room for racism. Kick it out.
The teams are out! Leicester in their blue shirts, Chelsea sporting a change strip of very light blue. We’ll be off in a minute! Meanwhile here comes Neal Butler, mistiming his run by a couple of minutes: “Havertz/Kovacic/Mount really doesn’t seem like a terribly sturdy midfield. I’m beginning to worry that Lampard may not actually know what he’s doing. Still, at least Hudson-Odoi starts, though why Pulisic - who saw a lot of the ball, but did very little with it against Fulham - keeps his place is beyond me.”
Frank Lampard: a triptych. “That Chelsea line-up really looks like they’re going for it,” writes Keith Hennigan. “Not a deep lying midfielder to be seen! I know Kovacic and Mount get about a bit, but really. Let’s hope for their sake Leicester are no good in attack. Oh.”
Julian Menz adds: “So Lampard changes his forward line yet again, and that really doesn’t help any of his forwards find their rhythm. Halfway through the season, and he is still no closer to knowing his best team. That’s no good for him, his players, and Chelsea’s chances of securing a top-four place.”
And finally Mary Waltz: “What a difference a year makes. The hyenas are really snapping at Frank’s heels. Even I was surprised to hear ‘he wins today or he gets the axe’. Sheesh.”
Frank Lampard talks to Sky. “We’re coming to a really tough place, they’re playing really well. They’re a very accomplished team with a very good coach. But we have to believe in ourselves. We have a lot of energy in the team, different quality. Callum is effecting games more than ever, and that’s his development as a young player. His confidence is there. Kai as well. There’s clearly an adaptation period at such an age, but he’s playing really well in training. Some of our control against Fulham was a little bit safe, we didn’t do enough. There may be more space for us today. We have to be at our best.” Lampard also confirms that Olivier Giroud is out injured, having taken a “bang on the ankle” against Fulham.
Some added incentive for Chelsea, should they require any. London rivals West Ham have just beaten West Brom 2-1, a result that sees the Hammers leapfrog them into seventh place. Chelsea need to win tonight to reclaim that spot on goal difference. Simon Burnton was watching that one; here’s how it unfolded in real time.
Brendan Rodgers speaks to Sky. “The team is in good form and we haven’t had to change it too much of late. But we know we will still need the squad this season, and it’ll be a really tough game tonight, and a quick turnaround in games, so we’ll definitely need the players on the bench. If you can be close to the top or at the top, it shows you deserve to be there and have been playing well. Tonight Chelsea are a talented team with good players, but we want to continue with our momentum. From an attacking perspective they look really strong, but we can play football as well. The players have shown real flexibility to play different games in different ways.”
Leicester are unchanged from the 2-0 win over Southampton. Jamie Vardy has recovered from a hip problem picked up against Saints and starts.
Chelsea make four changes to the side named for the 1-0 win at Fulham. Reece James, Kai Havertz, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Tammy Abraham take the places of Cesar Azpilicueta, Jorginho, Hakim Ziyech and Olivier Giroud. Misfiring striker Timo Werner once again has to make do with a place on the bench. Giroud is missing altogether.
The teams
Leicester City: Schmeichel, Castagne, Fofana, Evans, Justin, Ndidi, Tielemans, Albrighton, Maddison, Barnes, Vardy.
Subs: Soyuncu, Ward, Iheanacho, Perez, Amartey, Under, Choudhury, Ricardo Pereira, Thomas.
Chelsea: Mendy, James, Thiago Silva, Rudiger, Chilwell, Havertz, Kovacic, Mount, Hudson-Odoi, Abraham, Pulisic.
Subs: Arrizabalaga, Christensen, Jorginho, Werner, Zouma, Ziyech, Gilmour, Azpilicueta, Emerson Palmieri.
Referee: Craig Pawson (South Yorkshire).
Preamble
Leicester City, champions of England in 2016, can leap back to the top of the Premier League this evening. All they have to do is beat Chelsea, who before an uncertain win against ten-man Fulham the other night, had lost their previous three away fixtures. The Foxes by comparison have their tails up, currently on a three-match winning run, and with seven wins and two draws in their last ten.
But the head-to-head gives Leicester something to think about. They’ve not lost any of their last five matches against Chelsea. However, four of those were draws, while Chelsea have won on five of their last seven visits to the King Power. It’s very much swings and roundabouts. Good luck calling it!
So will Leicester reach the summit? Will Chelsea nudge Everton out of sixth spot? Or will it be a narrative-shattering draw? We’ll find out soon enough. It’s on!
Kick off: 8.15pm GMT.