Leicester City 0-3 Chelsea: Player Ratings as clinical Blues extend lead at the top | Premier League 2021-22

Antonio Rudiger celebrates with his teammates after scoring the first goal of the evening.
Antonio Rudiger celebrates with his teammates after scoring the first goal of the evening.

Chelsea extended their lead atop the Premier League table by six points on Saturday. They beat FA Cup holders Leicester City 3-0 at the King Power Stadium in the first game of the English top flight this weekend.

Goals from Antonio Rudiger, N'Golo Kante and Christian Pulisic ensured a perfect outing for the European champions. Edouard Mendy, in the process, kept his eighth clean sheet of the season.

With none of the first-team strikers for Leicester City having a single shot on goal, Tuchel's men had a comfortable day at the back. That enabled the high-flying wing-backs of the Londoners to play most of the game in the opposition half. After the second goal, Leicester City seemed pretty much out of the contest.

Brendan Rodgers made some decent tactical changes at half-time, bringing on James Maddison and Kelechi Iheanacho. However, a brilliant overall display by Chelsea ensured all three points and a clean sheet on the night. It was Chelsea's fifth away win of the season as they remain unbeaten on the road.

Without much ado, let's dive straight into the player ratings of both teams in a one-sided affair at the King Power Stadium:


Leicester City player ratings against Chelsea

Jonny Evans was the worst player on the pitch this evening.
Jonny Evans was the worst player on the pitch this evening.

Kasper Schmeichel - 5.5/10

The Danish stopper looked very different from his usual self, letting in three of the seven shots he faced on Saturday. He also went into the book for arguing with the referee. Schmeichel should have saved two of three Chelsea goals on the night, though.

Daniel Amartey - 5/10

Amartey was the weak link in the Leicester back-three against the dynamic Chelsea forwards. That led to the Ghanaian losing his position, and he was also caught off-guard multiple times during the game. The centre-back was the first player to be shown a yellow on the night.

Jonny Evans - 4/10

Hands down, he was the weakest Leicester player on the field throughout the 90 minutes. Evans was abysmal even when not under pressure from the Chelsea front three. He won none of his three ground duels contested, and lost possession seven times during the game. He did not play a single successful long ball throughout 90 minutes.

Caglar Soyuncu - 6/10

The Turkish international was the comparatively more stable defender in the hosts' back three. Soyuncu looked confident on the ball, and played without pressure most of the game. The Leicester City centre-back also won five of his one-on-one battles, and blocked one shot successfully.

The defender's only shortcoming proved to be his inability to progress the ball successfully. He misplaced 24% of his passes on the night - a very high percentage for a defender.

Marc Albrighton - 6.5/10

The only reason Reece James held back, unlike Ben Chilwell on the other flank, was Marc Albrighton. The pacey winger kept the Chelsea man on his toes, with his quick feet and positioning. He completed six of his 11 take-ons, and made one key pass, which was almost converted into a goal by Jamie Vardy.

Boubakary Soumare - 5/10

Soumare was already under pressure before the kick-off whistle, as he had to fill the boots of Youri Tielemans. Naturally, the shoes were too big to fill. The new Leicester City signing couldn't contain or even threaten the Chelsea midfield duo of N'Golo Kante and Jorginho. He won just 40% of his duels against the Champions League-winning duo.

Wilfred Ndidi - 5.5/10

The Nigerian midfielder, often regarded as the heir to Kante at Leicester City, had a shaky first half. He recovered well to make his physical presence felt in the second half. He lost possession the most times on the field among any Leicester City midfielders or defenders (22), though. A few of those instances led to key chances for Chelsea too.

Timothy Castagne - 6/10

Castagne's usual role of playing as a false winger was unsuccessful, as he mostly tracked Reece James back in his own half. The Chelsea player found a lot of space, and took a lot of shots during the game. So it was clear Castagne was failing to mark the Chelsea man. Castagne made three tackles and two interceptions during the game, which were decent figures, though.

Ademola Lookman - 5.5/10

As the commentator rightly mentioned, Lookman brought a breath of fresh air to the one-directional attacking force of Jamie Vardy and Harvey Barnes. The 24-year-old attacker was successful in holding off pressure from Antonio Rudiger, and kept possession well.

However, he could only squander his final ball wide most of the time during the game. He was unjustly taken off by Brendan Rodgers at half-time.

Jamie Vardy - 4.5/10

It was a very quiet game by a player who is usually extremely vibrant on the pitch, especially in the final third. Vardy hardly had a touch of the ball against Chelsea. The Blues ensured that the supply to the final lane was cut before any dangerous positions could be taken by the hosts. The 34-year-old Leicester City striker did not have a single shot in the game, let alone a shot on target.

Harvey Barnes - 5/10

Barnes was at the receiving end of a tactical change at half-time by Rodgers. Before being taken off, though, the Englishman did not have a material impact on the game. The only thing he brought to The Foxes' game was his ability to calm down the game in the final third. He was precise with his passes against Chelsea, which he hardly misplaced.


Ratings of Leicester City substitutes against Chelsea

James Maddison - 7/10

Maddison kept Leicester City in the game after coming on at half-time. He was the only player to initiate attacks for his side. The No.10 mostly dropped deep to collect the ball, progressing the game really well for Leicester City. A start for the young winger could have given The Foxes some hope of breaking the resilient Chelsea defence.

Kelechi Iheanacho - 6/10

The former Manchester City striker was brought oninstead of Ademola Lookman for his superior experience. But he was fairly invisible during most parts of the game,

Iheanacho couldn't even get a shot on goal. He had just 26 touches during the entire 45 minutes of playing time. He also won just 25% of his duels during the game, which was expected due to Ben Chilwell's brilliant performance.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall - 6.5/10

Boubakary Soumare surely did not pass the Tielemans test. But Dewsbury-Hall came pretty close, as the young Englishman had a much better game than Soumare after coming on after 70 minutes. The 23-year-old won two of his three duels contested, and had a 100% long ball success rate too.

Chelsea Player Ratings against Leicester City

Edouard Mendy acknowledges the fans after Chelsea's victory.
Edouard Mendy acknowledges the fans after Chelsea's victory.

Edouard Mendy - 7/10

The Chelsea goalkeeper kept his eighth clean sheet of the season from 12 games played. Mendy only had one key save to make during the game, which the Senegalese saved with a full dive to his left.

He successfully launched eight of his 12 goal-kicks during the ninety minutes. The only blot on his bright day was the yellow card he saw for time-wasting.

Antonio Rudiger - 9/10

Petr Cech and the entire Chelsea board will hope to bind the German international to a new contract. That's because Rudiger once again proved his world-class pedigree on Saturday.

The Man of the Match scored a towering header in the first half to open the scoring for Chelsea. He also won five of his seven duels contested, and had two successful tackles on the night too.

Thiago Silva - 8/10

The Brazilian seems to be ageing like fine wine, providing a fine demonstration of his leadership and composure in the Chelsea back three. With a 97% passing success rate, Silva did not lose a single duel and lost possession the least times (3) among all players on the pitch.

Trevoh Chalobah - 7.5/10

Replacing his Danish teammate Andreas Christensen in the lineup, Chalobah more than made up for his compatriot's absence. The highlight of his game was a crucial interception towards the end of the game. Iheanacho almost found Jamie Vardy in the penalty area, only for Chalobah to successfully intercept the play.

Ben Chilwell - 8/10

Chilwell was a livewire at the King Power Stadium on Saturday, as the former Leicester player had a touch in almost every part of the pitch. His beautiful ball from a corner set up Antonio Rudiger's goal in the first half.

He almost scored himself, but his shot on target was saved by Kasper Schmeichel. Chilwell won seven of his nine duels on the night, which was the best performance in this part of the pitch.

Jorginho - 7/10

The UEFA Player of the Year had an usual quiet day at work. He controlled the tempo of the game and organised the distribution of passes across the field.

He had a 88% passing success rate, won the ball four times from his Leicester City counterparts, and also played three successful long balls during the game. The Italian picked up a knock before being replaced by Loftus-Cheek in the dying embers of the game.

N'Golo Kante - 8.5/10

It was another Man-of-the-Match performance from Kante, only to be shadowed by Rudiger's defensive masterclass. The 2018 FIFA World Cup winner tirelessly worked his way through the Leicester City midfield during the ninety minutes.

He bagged a deserved goal in the first half from long range. It's surprising how active the Frenchman was even in the last ten minutes of the game.

Reece James - 7.5/10

The Chelsea academy graduate had a thunderous start to the game, as he played the first key pass into the six-yard box. But he was overshadowed by the high-flying Ben Chilwell in the other flank, and decided to sit back a bit to defend Chelsea's goal. In that aspect too, the right-back was brilliant. He had a successful goal attempt too, only for the play to be stopped for offside.

Callum Hudson-Odoi - 7/10

Although Hudson-Odoi did not have the numbers to speak for, he was key in breaking the disciplined Leicester City back-three.

The winger moved into unusual spaces on the pitch, dragged Daniel Amartey alongside him and disrupted the shape of the hosts' defence in the process. Winning five of his seven ground duels, he successfully completed every dribble on the night.

Mason Mount - 6/10

The most influential player for Chelsea in Europe last season, Mount has struggled to get into the Chelsea XI this season. His struggles were evident in today's game against Leicester too.

The 22-year-old failed to have a meaningful impact on the game, and was spotted in poor positions across the pitch on multiple occasions. Thomas Tuchel will be seriously considering giving Timo Werner his spot after this performance from Mount.

Kai Havertz - 6.5/10

Filling in for the injured Romelu Lukaku, Havertz played his part well by giving Jonny Evans a nightmare in the vibrant part of Leicestershire.

The German won more than 75% of his aerial battles, which is his forte, while also completing 83% of his passes on the night. He even drew two crucial fouls, which led to good Chelsea chances.

Player Ratings of Chelsea substitutes against Leicester City

Christian Pulisic - 8/10

Making an instant impact off the bench, the American international scored a much-needed goal to give himself a boost after an injury-ridden season. Apart from the goal,

Pulisic had a quiet game on the ball, though. Off the ball, he made his Leicester City counterparts run a lot.

Hakim Ziyech - 7/10

The Moroccan has been in the news of late about departing from Stamford Bridge in January due to a lack of playing time. But the former Ajax star was very clinical in his playmaking after coming on at the hour mark on Saturday.

He created two great chances that were finished well by his teammates. However, the efforts were ruled out for offside.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek - N/A

Loftus-Cheek did not see much of the ball in his ten-odd minutes of playing time. He made one tackle, did not misplace a single pass, and won an aerial duel to finish off the game on a good note, though.

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Edited by Bhargav
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