toptop
Chelsea
failed to win for the fourth match in a row in all competitions as they scraped
a 0-0 draw against 10-man Leicester on Saturday.
The Blues had won their previous seven Premier League home matches, but were
fortunate not to lose to the Foxes after a lacklustre display.
Shinji Okazaki, Wilfred Ndidi and Riyad Mahrez all went close as the visitors
created a number of chances in a dominant opening hour.
Player ratings
Chelsea: Courtois (6), Azpilicueta (6), Cahill (5), Rudiger
(5), Moses (6), Bakayoko (5), Kante (5), Fabregas (4), Alonso (6), Hazard (4),
Morata (3)
Subs: Christensen (6), Willian (5), Pedro (5)
Leicester: Schmeichel (6), Amartey (7), Maguire (8), Dragovic
(7), Chilwell (5), Mahrez (8), Ndidi (6), James (7), Albrighton (6), Okazaki
(7), Vardy (6)
Subs: Gray (5), Iborra (5), Fuchs (5)
Man of the match: Harry Maguire
Ben Chilwell was sent off for the visitors in the 68th minute for a second
yellow card, but Chelsea still created few clear openings and remain without a
win in 2018.
Antonio Conte had said before the match that Leicester were the "worst" side for
Chelsea to face after a busy recent run of fixtures, and so it proved as the
visitors came flying out of the traps and immediately applied pressure.
Okazaki missed the target from eight yards out, Jamie Vardy poked a shot wide
and then dragged another across goal before Thibaut Courtois made an excellent
diving stop to keep out a header from Ndidi.
Kasper Schmiechel was hardly tested at the other end aside from pushing an
effort from Cesc Fabregas away.
And Leicester continued to create chances against a below-par Chelsea, with
Mahrez firing over from the penalty spot and Marc Alrighton shooting past the
post.
Chelsea lost Gary Cahill to injury and did not improve after half-time as the
Foxes controlled possession and went close to the opener with a deflected shot
from Mahrez that spun just wide.
The hosts were handed a way into the game when Chilwell was dismissed after two
bookings in five minutes, but even then the closest they came was an effort from
Tiemoue Bakayoko that went over the bar.
Opta stats
Chelsea have drawn three consecutive games 0-0 in all competitions for the first
time in their history.
Leicester had 12 shots in the first half - the most of any visiting team in the
opening 45 minutes of a Premier League match at Stamford Bridge since 2003-04.
However, they managed just two shots after the interval.
The Foxes have kept consecutive clean sheets in the Premier League for the first
time since May 2017.
Only Watford (4) have been shown more red cards than Leicester (3) in the
Premier League this season.
Man of the match - Harry Maguire
It was a close call between the excellent Mahrez and Maguire, but the defender
shades it for an impressive display, even after his side had been reduced to 10
men.
He looked composed on the ball, showed good strength on several occasions to win
possession and kept Morata under wraps throughout. It was the kind of
performance that might only serve to increase interest in his services from
Manchester City.
What's next?
Chelsea have a busy upcoming schedule ahead as they host Norwich in an FA Cup
replay on Wednesday and then travel to Brighton on Saturday in the Premier
League, live on Sky Sports. They then take on Arsenal in the second leg of their
Carabao Cup semi-final on January, Wednesday 24, also live on Sky Sports.
Leicester host an FA Cup replay against Fleetwood Town on Tuesday and then
welcome Watford to the King Power Stadium on Saturday.
Click Here For Official Team Sheet
Teams
Chelsea Courtois, Azpilicueta, Cahill (c) (Christensen 33),
Rudiger, Moses, Fabregas (Willian 58), Kante, Bakayoko, Alonso, Hazard (Pedro
58), Morata
Subs Not Used Caballero, Zappacosta, Luiz, Batshuayi
Booked Kante, Morata
Goals
Leicester City Schmeichel (c), Amartey, Maguire, Dragovic,
Chilwell, Mahrez, Ndidi, James (Iborra 90), Albrighton, Vardy (Gray 82), Okazaki
(Fuchs 73)
Subs Not Used Hamer, Slimani, Iborra, Benalouane
Booked James, Okazaki, Chilwell
Sent Off Chilwell 68
Goals
Attendance 41,552
Referee Michael Jones