Chelsea show class as they make light work of Leicester

Premier League leaders Chelsea looked every bit the 2017 champions in waiting as they dismantled current champions Leicester at the King Power Stadium.

A brace from Marcos Alonso and a further finish from Pedro did the business for Antonio Conte’s Blues as Claudio Ranieri’s Leicester simply couldn’t find a way to break down the visitors stubbornly rigid 3-4-3 formation.

The win leaves Chelsea seven points clear of Spurs at the top of the division, with Liverpool looking to close that gap to five points with victory over Manchester United tomorrow afternoon.

Leicester sit 15^th - five points above the trap door.

It only took the Blues six minutes to open the scoring with Cesar Azpilicueta crossing into the area for Pedro to pass on to Eden Hazard, and the Belgian teeing up Marco Alonso to finish home past Kasper Schmeichel.

The London side were largely dominant in that early period; however, Marc Albrighton was proving more than a handful for the Foxes, first whipping in a cross to the penalty area for Jamie Vardy, which the England international coulnd’t connect with, and then another cross to the box, with Ben Chilwell this time unable to make the connection.

By the half hour Leicester had worked their way into the game as they grew in confidence with Vardy firing a low cross across the face of goal for Thibaut Courtois to push away with Victor Moses clearing the danger.

Chelsea created a clever opportunity to double the lead from a free-kick just before the interval. David Luiz, instead of firing at goal, laid a ball on the ground to Hazard on the edge of the area, who in turn dinked a ball to Pedro in the box, but the Spaniard couldn’t find the right touch as he blazed wide.

Th second did come though - six minutes after the break. Christian Fuchs tugged on Willian’s shirt to give away a free deep in the Leicester half. The free-kick was whipped into the box where it came off Wes Morgan to fall perfectly for Alonso to steady and rifle at goal, with a deflection off both Morgan and Danny Drinkwater taking the ball just past Schmeichel and into the net.

Looking to kill the game off Hazard drove at the defence, weaving into the box and towards goal, with Morgan doing superbly well to muscle him out and get a touch on the ball to force possession away from the Belgian.

Alonso came within inches of bagging a hat-trick as he was teed up from a cross from the right by Victor Moses, with the Spaniard volleying on the edge of the area and the ball whistling just wide of the right post.

The game killing third goal looked inevitable and so it proved. A delightful touch from Hazard played Willian on the right of the box, where he drew keeper Schmeichel before chipping back for Pedro to finish with the head as Chelsea’s classy display overwhelmed the Foxes.

Photo: Getty Images/Laurence Griffiths

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