A sunny afternoon in London was not enough for **Leicester**to break their long streak of six games without a win. It was a much better performance than the team have shown in past defeats but not good enough to get any points from it.
Manager Ruud Van Nistelrooy adopted a new formation in the shape of a 5-3-2 to try and deny Chelsea much space. Luke Thomas and **Conor Coady**came in to play at centre back whilst Patson Daka started up top for the Foxes.
Chelsea made seven changes to their team from their last match against FC Kobenhavn in midweek. Only Cole Palmer, Robert Sanchez, Moises Caicedo and Christopher Nkunku keeping their place.
Both sides started the match being unable to create many big chances with Leicester allowing the hosts to have a lot of possession. It would only be a matter of time before a big chance would present itself to one of the teams.
In the 19th minute, a penalty would be awarded to Chelsea after a clumsy challenge Victor Kristiansen. Cole Palmer would step up but a poor penalty that Mads Hermansen would easily save and end the attacker's 100% record from penalties.
The away side would use this as motivation and almost hit back instantly after a dangerous cross hit the back of Tosin Adarobioyo and rebound off of the bar.
That would be the best chance in the match from open play as both teams were equal to each other's threats. Any Chelsea threat would be met with a quick counter attack from the Foxes and both teams were unable to make their chances worthwhile in the first half.
The second half would begin as the first half ended as both teams could not carve many chances. The Foxes' strong defence kept the home side away from goal and it would take a long range strike to beat Hermansen in goal.
And that would eventually come to life as **Marc Cucurella**would hit the ball in the bottom right corner in the 60th minute. He was not closed down quick enough and was able to punish Leicester because of it.
The rest of the match would be a tight contest as the Foxes would try and work their way back into the match but fatigue had set in. It was a sad but familiar ending for Leicester as time is running out for Premier League survival.
Leicester have not moved from 19th in the table as they remain six points away from safety. Their next match is the third meeting between them and Man United this season, this time at the King Power Stadium.
Chelsea move back into the top four with this win and are looking to qualify for the **Champions League**this season. They play Danish side Kobenhavn in the UEFA Conference League in midweek before a trip to **Arsenal**in the league.
Mads Hermansen-8
A brilliant performance from the goalkeeper as he was unlucky to concede to a well placed strike.
He kept Leicester in the game with some big saves coming at important moments.
James Justin-7
The right back has struggled this season for form but showed his quality during this match.
He remained a threat at both ends for all of his time on the pitch and delivered a performance to be proud of.
Wout Faes-7
The Belgian is another player who has struggled for form this season and showed his real quality in this match.
He was able to move the play forward a lot and put in some important tackles to deny the hosts shots on target.
Conor Coady-7
His first start for the club since in over a month and much like Faes, was able to move the ball well with long passes.
His performance could see him become a regular starter for Van Nistelrooy's side once again.
Luke Thomas-6
It was a new position for the 23-year-old and he did not disappoint in the role of a centre back.
A 75% win rate on his tackles made Chelsea unable to create many good chances on his side of the field.
Victor Kristiansen-4
It was not a great performance from the Danish full back as he gave away a penalty early on which required a big save to spare his blushes.
His recent performances have left many unsatisfied and it could mean that he gets dropped from the starting squad.
Boubakary Soumare-5
He had some good moments during the match but did seem nervous at times during the match.
The midfielder would get subbed off halfway through the second half leaving behind him an unremarkable performance.
Wilfrid Ndidi-7
The Nigerian had a very impressive performance in the midfield as he was key to setting up Leicester's counter attacks with some good dribbles.
Bilal El Khannouss-5
An unfortunate performance comes at a bad time for one of Leicester's star players this season.
Many of his passes were cut out too easily and his attacking threat this is usually so prominent was dealt with easily.
Patson Daka-4
He was not involved in the match much and he seemed like more of a bystander at times when he could have provided more.
The Zambian also lost the most duels during the match and will be annoyed that he could not provide more.
Jamie Vardy-6
Whilst he was unlucky not to get more chances, he was a nightmare to deal with for the Chelsea defence throughout the match.
His best chance was a shot at the near post that was tipped away by the Chelsea goalkeeper.
Harry Winks-5
Coming on for Soumare, it never seemed as though the veteran midfielder would be able to be the difference maker for the away side.
It seems unlikely that Winks will be able to force his way back into the starting squad anytime soon.
Facundo Buonanotte-4
Another disappointing performance from the youngster as the only thing of notice he did was give away two fouls.
It seems as though the Argentinian's time in the Midlands has been a big failure, and an expensive one for the Foxes.
Bobby De-Cordova Reid-5
Only getting seven minutes at the end of the match, Reid did not have much time to create many opportunities.
Ricardo Pereira-5
It was a good feeling to see the Portuguese full back come back into the squad from injury, with his last performance being against Ipswich in November.
Stephy Mavididi-5
Much like with Reid, his time on the pitch was very limiting and he was not able to do much during his time on the field.