Enzo Fernandez shines, Chelsea defeats Leicester City

(Dan Tri) - Enzo Fernandez contributed to both goals in Chelsea's 2-1 victory over Leicester City in round 12 of the 2024-25 Premier League on the evening of November 23.

Enzo Maresca was back at the King Power Stadium for the first time since guiding Leicester back to the Premier League last season. The Italian tactician left Leicester to join a club with more development potential, Chelsea.

The visitors started the game comfortably. Leicester chose to defend deep to neutralize the threat from the Blues, but this gave Chelsea complete control of the game. In the 15th minute, Nicolas Jackson received the ball from Fernandez, the Ivorian striker beat Wout Faes and finished neatly past goalkeeper Mads Hermansen to open the scoring.

Chelsea dominated the home team Leicester after the opening whistle (Photo: Getty).

Leicester struggled to keep pace with the game, and the home side began to show signs of impatience. Wilfred Ndidi, Boubakary Soumare and Oliver Skipp were all booked for rough tackles. Leicester did, however, avoid a second goal in the first half when Noni Madueke had a goal ruled out for offside by Marc Cucurella.

For the home team, their efforts brought a few scoring opportunities, however Kasey McAteer and Wilfred Ndidi could not convert them into goals.

Chelsea had a moment to forget shortly after the start of the second half. Jackson's shot was parried away by Hermansen, and Palmer looked to have scored but his shot hit Madueke on the line. Fernandez also missed an early chance to extend the lead, while Leicester still failed to put enough pressure on Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.

Realizing the home team's stalemate, coach Steve Cooper changed tactics by introducing Stephy Mavididi and Jordan Ayew, but just four minutes later, Chelsea doubled the lead. In the 75th minute, Hermansen blocked Jackson's header, but the ball bounced back for Fernandez to easily head into the net to make it 2-0.

Fernandez celebrates after scoring against Leicester (Photo: Getty).

With nothing to lose, Leicester fought back in the remaining minutes. The home side won a penalty in stoppage time when Bobby De Cordova-Reid was brought down in the box by Romeo Lavia. Ayew converted the spot-kick to reduce the deficit to 1-2, but it was not enough to stop Chelsea from winning.

This is Leicester's third defeat in their last four Premier League games. Cooper's team still has only 10 points and is ranked 16th in the rankings, 3 points above the relegation zone. Chelsea has risen to 3rd place, with 22 points.

Line-up

Leicester City : Hermansen, Justin, Faes, Okoli, Kristiansen, Soumare, Winks (Skipp 11), Ndidi (Ayew 71), McAteer (Mavididi 71), Vardy (Daka 79), El Khannouss (De Cordova-Reid 79).

Chelsea : Sanchez, Fofana, Badiashile, Colwill, Cucurella, Caicedo (Lavia 81), Fernandez, Madueke (Sancho 85), Palmer, Felix (Nkunku 81), Jackson (Dewsbury-Hall 90).

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/enzo-fernandez-toa-sang-chelsea-danh-bai-leicester-city-20241123220118265.htm