Chelsea were in action on Wednesday evening in the East Midlands, needing just six points to secure their fourth Barclays Premier League title. After a lacklustre first half, the Blues came alive after the break to overcome a 1-0 deficit and run away with a 3-1 victory over Leicester City, meaning a win on the weekend against Crystal Palace can seal the crown for Chelsea. Here are our four findings from Wednesday night’s triumph at the King Power Stadium.
Chelsea Respond Quickly After Conceding First
Chelsea conceded the opening goal to Leicester’s Marc Albrighton in the third minute of first-half injury time, marking the first time that the Blues had conceded first in a match in the year 2015. The last time Chelsea failed to score first was on Dec. 28 against Southampton, and it was the first time that Chelsea had trailed at all in the Premier League since the turn of the year when Tottenham handed them a 5-3 defeat at White Hart Lane.
Unfazed, Chelsea came out of the dressing room after the half and immediately went on the offensive, needing just three minutes after the break to level things on the strength of a Didier Drogba right-footed finish. Drogba, who was poor in the first half and was far from his best all evening long, capitalized on a nice setup from Branislav Ivanovic, who teed the striker up at the edge of the 12-yard box with a cut-back pass from the right flank. To Drogba’s credit, he did well to finish across the goal into the left corner, avoiding the outstretched hands of Kasper Schmeichel in the process. It was a big moment in the match from the big Ivorian.
After such an uninspired first half performance, it was impressive to see the Blues respond in such rapid fashion after the break before going on to win comfortably. The speech from José Mourinho at half-time must have been a good one.
Willian Turns in MOTM Effort
Willian provided a spark for the Blues all game long, using his pace to create on the counter for Chelsea on a number of occasions, and standing out when the rest of the team seemed to be lagging behind. On three occasions, Willian charged forward and made marauding runs down the pitch, setting up chances on two of those runs and helping Chelsea earn a corner on the other. Drogba scuffed a clean look from the edge of the box early in the match and Cesc Fàbregas was unable to handle a great cross in front of goal in the early moments of the second half, but Willian’s service was excellent in both instances.
Willian has now narrowly missed out on three assists in the last two matches, going back to Ramires’ miss in the first half at the Emirates against Arsenal on Saturday. Regardless, Willian was stellar on Wednesday night at the King Power, providing a boost when Chelsea needed it and using his trademark work rate to make things happen from end-to-end.
https://twitter.com/ChelseaFC/status/593535881950040064
Fàbregas Provides Creative Force in Second Half
After starting the game alongside Nemanja Matić in the double-pivot, Cesc Fàbregas moved up into the No. 10 role in the middle of the park after the break. The change did wonders for Chelsea, as they looked much more fluid in possession with Fàbregas pulling the strings. The interplay between Cesc and Eden Hazard was particularly dangerous for the Blues, with the duo causing problems often for Leicester after the switch.
When Fàbregas was in possession, Hazard was moving off his Spanish teammate beautifully. A number of nice link-ups between the two created opportunities for the Blues, but it would ultimately be Fàbregas’ interaction with another CFC midfielder that sealed the win. In the 83rd minute, Fàbregas cut the ball back from the right side to the edge of the 18-yard box, where Ramires ran onto it and unleashed a brilliant side-footed finish to make it 3-1 Chelsea. It was a cracker from Ramires, who managed to send a rocket across the face of goal and into the top left corner, and the assist was number 17 in Premier League play this season for Cesc.
With Oscar on the bench for the entirety of the match, Fàbregas played a crucial role as the Chelsea play-maker as the Blues moved to within three points of a championship.
Captain. Leader. Legend.
While Ramires provided a moment of brilliance late on for Chelsea, it was the Captain who provided the winner with a predatory finish off a Schmeichel deflection. Gary Cahill did very well to head a Fàbregas corner on goal while moving away from the net, and Schmeichel was able to get a hand on it but couldn’t corral it. Off the bounce, it was none other than John Terry who was there to nick the ball home and put the Blues ahead to stay in minute 79.
Terry has been absolutely brilliant this season for Chelsea, and it was fitting to see him provide the game-winner on the heels of his incredible defensive showing against Arsenal. While Hazard was rightfully awarded the PFA Player of the Year Award, Terry has been every bit as important for Chelsea throughout the campaign, and his opportunistic finish at Leicester pulled CFC to the brink of a fourth Premier League title.
Chelsea will return to the pitch on Sunday at Stamford Bridge against Crystal Palace with a chance to clinch the league with a win.
