Riyad Mahrez bags a goal and assist as Leicester see off Chelsea at the King Power. Jamie Vardy nets his fifteenth goal of the season but is now just one yellow card short of a single-match ban. Eden Hazard limps off for the champions as Loic Remy emerges from the bench to notch a consolation.
Mahrez and Vardy Deliver Again
Leicester City returned to the summit of the Premier League by virtue of a 2-1 home win against Chelsea. To nobody’s surprise, Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez were the architects of the Blues’ downfall: the pair combined for Vardy’s opener, before Mahrez curled in a sumptuous strike from an acute angle to double the hosts’ advantage. Marc Albrighton notched his second assist in as many outings and seventh of the campaign to reaffirm his budget potential. The 4.9-priced midfielder ranks joint-third for assists (seven) this term and boasts seven more points than any of his counterparts priced 5.0 or below.
There were fears that the Foxes’ momentum would be stymied once they embarked on a difficult run from Gameweek 14, yet Claudio Ranieri’s troops have dispelled that fear in emphatic fashion. As such, while their upcoming trio of fixtures (eve, liv, MCI) look tough on paper, it would take a brave man to bet against Leicester prolonging their record of scoring in every league fixture – particularly when Mahrez (18) and Vardy (17) are leading the field with regards to goal involvement.
The Foxes will be without Robert Huth for their trip to Goodison, though – the German fell off the Suspension Tightrope after earning his fifth caution of the campaign. Vardy’s booking last night took him to four yellows for the season – he must avoid incurring the referees’ wrath in the next three Gameweeks or will face a one-match ban.
Remy Strike Not Enough for Chelsea
Chelsea plummeted further into the abyss with their fifth defeat in seven outings. To illustrate the extent of their current malaise, the Blues have posted as many losses this term (nine) as in the past two combined. Aside from charting joint-second-bottom for home defeats (four), Chelsea have chalked up a solitary victory on their travels, which will be music to the ears of Manchester United and Crystal Palace ahead of upcoming visits from the champions.
Looking at Chelsea’s Fantasy output at the King Power Stadium, Loic Remy entered the fray at the 65-minute mark and went on to net a consolation goal (his first of the campaign) 12 minutes later by way of Pedro’s assist. The latter came on in the 31st minute for Eden Hazard, whose decision to remove himself from the proceeding has his manager worried:
“I don’t know what is wrong. The only thing I know is in 10 seconds he made the decision himself. It must be a serious injury because he just left the pitch and just made the decision not to go in. His first reaction was ‘I can’t’ and I was going to make the change. His second reaction was ‘I want to try,’ and when he goes on the pitch, first step he immediately says ‘I can’t do it.’ It was him in a few seconds who had three different perspectives, but clearly he couldn’t do it.”
The Londoners now gear up for back-to-back home ties (SUN, WAT), but one would be hard pressed to make a cogent case for any of their attacking assets. With four clean sheets in the last six in all competitions, though, the likes of Kurt Zouma (5.4) could still prove a viable option at the back.
