As Chelsea headed to Leicester to play the defending champions at the King Power Stadium, all the talk that surrounded the game was about the alleged bust-up between manager, Antonio Conte and star striker, Diego Costa, pre-match.
Conte dropped his main man for this game and yet it had no effect on the outcome as a rampant Chelsea side beat a depleted Leicester team by three goals to nil.
Costa’s absence was known, but not felt by the Chelsea faithful, who saw their team bounce back from a defeat at the hands of Spurs last week and record their 14th win in fifteen games.
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Also read: EPL 2016-17: Leicester City 0-3 Chelsea - 5 Talking Points
The Blues are now seven points ahead of second-place Tottenham Hotspur while Leicester City have some work to do as they sit just five points away from the relegation spots.
Here are the player ratings in a game that some players will remember and some will soon like to forget:
Leicester City
Kasper Schmeichel – 5/10
Leicester’s goalkeeper did nothing wrong as such and probably would have saved Marcos Alonso’s second goal if not for an unlucky deflection, but the Premier League winner had a night to forget as he let three goals past him and was outfoxed by Willian which led to Pedro’s goal.
Christian Fuchs – 5/10
A bad day at the office for the Austrian left-back as he failed to make the convincing forward runs he is known for and was outdone by the Chelsea attack on most occasions. Fuchs was booked just before Alonso’s second and had a game to forget overall.
Robert Huth – 6/10
The giant centre-back had a decent game and did not do much wrong but was substituted off for Okazaki near the hour mark as Leicester searched for goals.
Wes Morgan – 6/10
Leicester’s captain had a better game than most of his teammates but was unable to prevent the inevitable from happening. A pass percentage of 80% and his usual intimidating frame did help his team somewhat but could not stop the goals from flowing.
Ben Chilwell – 7/10
The highly sought after left-back had the best game out of any of his teammates and was lively for the majority of the game. Chilwell lunged into some good tackles and made good runs off the ball.
Nampalys Mendy – 6/10
The man who was brought in as Kante’s replacement had a decent game considering his team’s performance otherwise. The midfielder won a tackle and an aerial duel and had a pass completion rate of 83%.
Wilfred Ndidi – 5.5/10
Ndidi attempted one shot and won 3 tackles in the game, but was not as effective as his partner Mendy when Leicester did not have the ball and had an average game overall.
Daniel Drinkwater – 5.5/10
Another off game for the man who was so impressive last season, Drinkwater had a pass success rate of just above 70% and could not do much with the ball when he had it.
Marc Albrighton – 5/10
Although Albrighton did make a last ditch tackle which stopped Hazard in his tracks, the midfielder had a bad game otherwise and could complete just 43% of the total passes he attempted. Was subbed off for Simpson near the end stages.
Jamie Vardy - 5/10
Another poor game for the English striker. Vardy won 2 aerial duels but attempted no dribbles and could not even muster a shot throughout the game. An ineffective performance overall.
Ahmed Musa – 6/10
The 24-year-old had a better game than his strike partner but that’s not saying much as even he was nearly as ineffective as the Englishman with a shot on target being his only highlight of the game.
Substitutes
Shinji Okazaki – 5.5/10
The player was brought on near the hour mark and despite trying his best he could not fare well in this game.
Demarai Gray – 6/10
Played for nearly 20 minutes and looked lively, but the damage was already done for Gray to make much difference.
Danny Simpson – 4/10
Simpson played for around 13 minutes and did nothing much in his time on the field.
Chelsea
Thibaut Courtois – 7/10
The tall Belgian had nothing much to do but made two saves when called upon as well as three claims. A clean sheet always helps.
Gary Cahill – 7/10
The defender did not have much defending to do but had an astonishing passing percentage of 97% and attempted a bicycle kick which was his highlight in a game where the Chelsea defence was not troubled at all.
David Luiz – 7/10
Just like his partner, Luiz had nothing to do at the back. He passed the ball well in the middle and won the only aerial duel he contested in the game.
Cesar Azpilicueta – 8/10
Chelsea’s most versatile defender won three aerial duels and completed 86% of his passes on a day where he had nothing monumental to do.
Marcos Alonso – 9.5/10
A first career brace for Chelsea’s summer signing and the best game in his time in England. The wingback gave Chelsea the lead and doubled it in the second half. The Spaniard completed one dribble and won six duels in the game. A day to remember for the 26-year-old.
Nemanja Matic – 7.5/10
The midfielder attempted four dribbles and had a good passing rate as he put in a good shift on the field and won the ball back twice.
N’Golo Kante – 6.5/10
The defensive midfielder had little to do and kept passing the ball around in what was a quiet game for him. Kante committed a foul on Mendy and got dispossessed once but it hardly mattered in the end.
Victor Moses – 7/10
Chelsea’s surprise package of the season played well and won an astonishing 5 aerial duels in the game. The Nigerian was dispossessed twice but played well and found his teammates in the final third often.
Willian – 6/10
The Brazilian did assist Pedro for his goal but was not as influential as the two other players leading Chelsea’s attack. The Brazilian completed four dribbles but lost the ball the most times too.
Eden Hazard – 7/10
Set up Alonso for his first and was his usual tricky self for most of the 90 minutes. A relatively quiet game in front of goal but he wouldn’t mind that.
Pedro – 8/10
A passing rate of 95% and some silky skills in front of goal, Pedro had a very good game and got Chelsea’s third goal in a brilliant move.
Substitutes
Cesc Fabregas – 6/10
Fabregas played for around 14 minutes and just kept passing the ball around as Chelsea saw out the game.
Michy Batshuayi and Ruben Loftus-Cheek – N/A
The duo did not have enough time to affect the game.
