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Chelsea thumped Leicester City 3-0 at the King Power Stadium in the Premier League to consolidate their position atop the standings. Goals from Antonio Rudiger, N'Golo Kante and Christian Pulisic got the job done for the European champions, sinking the Foxes deeper into crisis.
The visitors were in complete control throughout the match, racing to a 2-0 lead inside the opening half an hour of the game. Pulisic then came off the bench to extend the scoreline in the 71st minute, although The Blues saw three more goals ruled out for offside.
Leicester City can only count themselves lucky, as they were in no man's land, with Jamie Vardy also heading a shot over from six yards. Now winless in their last three games, Brendon Rodgers' side are down to 12th in the standings with only 15 points, seven off the top four.
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Chelsea, meanwhile, opened up a six-point gap at the top as they look forward towards their big European night with Juventus on Tuesday. On that note, here are the five major talking points from the match:
#5 Antonio Rudiger loves facing The Foxes
There's something about Leicester City that stirs Antonio Rudiger on. He doesn't usually score, but whenever he does, there's a 50% chance it's against The Foxes. With a neatly-placed header, the German brought up his eighth goal in the Premier League, four coming in matches against the East Midlands side.
This is also the third consecutive season he has scored against them. Rudiger scored a double in Chelsea's 2-2 draw with Leicester City in March 2020, and scored again on the penultimate matchday of the 2020-21 season.
If anything, Chelsea should start Rudiger in all their games against Leicester City, as there's a likely chance he could get on the scoresheet.
#4 Chelsea breach Fortress King Power with ease
Leicester City's record at home this season is as poor as it has been on their travels. They have dropped points in four games at the King Power Stadium, as many as they have away.
Just for context, The Foxes failed to win nine of their 18 home games in the entirety of the 2020-21 season. So that's nearly half of that tally even though the current campaign is not even halfway through.
Either way, it shows that they prefer to play on the road, but home woes aren't helping them in their top-four ambitions again. Leicester City are currently languishing seven points off fourth place.
#3 Reece James - the best right-back at the moment?
With four goals and four assists in nine Premier League games, Chelsea's Reece James is breathing fire this season. He has been in excellent form, so it begs the question - is he the best right-back in the world at the moment?
Well, no one comes close, certainly, with Trent Alexander-Arnold also making an identical number of assists but lagging behind in goals. Kyle Walker hasn't even opened his account yet.
The likes of Kieran Trippier, Achraf Hakimi, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Joao Cancelo are also well behind in terms of goal contributions. That leaves the 21-year-old the sole claimant of the crown.
In today's game too, James was in inspired form, tearing The Foxes to shreds with his boisterous runs and deadly link-up plays. He capped that off with a fine assist for Kante.
#2 Leicester City are just a mess at the moment
From contending for a Champions League spot last season to languishing below mid-table this campaign, Leicester City's decline has been dramatic. Aside from a few good results, they've looked a pale shadow of their former selves. Against Chelsea, they were woefully below-par once again as The Blues cut a swathe through them.
The side is lacking in imagination, while their defence switched off time and again, with Chelsea's marauding full-backs wreaking havoc down the flanks. Thanks to numerous offside calls towards the end, the scoreline finished no more than 3-0. Else, this game could have been an absolute rout.
Brendon Rodgers has done a fine job of reviving the side from mid-table mediocrity and turning them into a top-six side. But he now appears to have run out of ideas, with the prospect of facing a sack now appearing more likely than ever.
#1 Chelsea's imperious defence leading their title charge
Chelsea boast an enviable attacking arsenal featuring names like Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic, Hakim Ziyech and Romelu Lukaku. Yet it's their defence that is leading their Premier League title charge at the moment.
Coming into this game, the Chelsea defenders in the squad had accounted for 12 of their 28 goals. Just for context, that's more than what PSG's stellar attacking triumvirate of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe has managed in Ligue 1 this season.
Today, the likes of Reece James and Trevoh Chalobah were once again in action, registering an assist each. Rudger, as mentioned already, was on target, driving the European champions to another three points.
With only four goals conceded in the league - the lowest at this stage - Chelsea have a spectacular all-round defence that can guide them to their first league title in five years.
