Pundit Emmanuel Petit has offered a bold Premier League prediction about Chelsea after the Blues beat Leicester City 2-1. Both sides faced off for their league clash at the King Power Stadium on Saturday, November 23.
An early goal for Nicolas Jackson helped to put the game in the visitors' favor (15'). While Cole Palmer and others missed chances to extend their lead, Enzo Fernandez played that important role with a header in the 75th minute. A late penalty by Jordan Ayew (90+5') could only console the Foxes.
This performance has placed Chelsea in third place on the Premier League table, ahead of Arsenal on goal difference. So far, the Blues have lost just two games, and things look to be turning around impressively at Stamford Bridge. This has led Emmanuel Petit to believe that they could potentially partake in the title race. He told Premier League Productions (via Metro):
"They’ve played all those games so far against top teams and they are third – only six points behind Liverpool. They played very tough games at the start of the season – Manchester City in their first game.
"I still believe when I look at the schedule, especially starting from January – they are all winnable. If they can continue until Christmas time with what they are doing, they will be a big threat in the title race."
Chelsea will hope to continue their impressive run of form, with games coming back-to-back until the New Year.
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca pleased with Nicolas Jackson's performance against Leicester
Nicolas Jackson was one of the best players on the pitch today, scoring Chelsea's first goal. He dueled for the ball deep in Leicester City's half, eventually latching onto it and putting it into the back of the net from inside the box.
When asked about Jackson's performance in his press conference, Enzo Maresca shared his delight, telling the press (via Football.London):
"For me, he is doing very well. I have said many times, since we started, he is working hard on the ball and off the ball. He is making an effort to understand the way we want to play....
"We are very happy with the way Nico is playing on the ball but especially in the way he is playing off the ball - the way he is pressing. In this moment, we are very happy and we are sure he is going to get better game after game."
Nicolas Jackson has scored seven goals and provided three assists in 12 league appearances this season, and he will look to keep adding to these figures.