Chelsea keeps themselves alive in the exciting top 4 race as they move above Leicester City beating them 2 goals to 1 at Stamford Bridge.
Just after a disappointing loss to The Foxes 3 days back in the F.A Cup final, Chelsea was determined to take revenge. It was one of the most important matches of their season in respect to qualifying for the champions league.
The Blues put on a dominating performance in the first half. However, they were unlucky to not score courtesy of a penalty decision going against them. Apart from the spot-kick, there were two goals ruled out by VAR. One due to an off-side and the other owing to a handball, both of them scored by Timo Werner.
The second half was more of a story about Chelsea, who got the decisive goal in the kick-off’s initial minutes. While Leicester looked sloppy while defending thus ended up awarding a penalty to The Blues converted by Jorginho to give Chelsea a cushion adding to their lead. Brendan Rodgers was furious after the second Chelsea goal and pushed his team to attack more and eventually, Iheanacho scored to reduce the deficit.
This match was considered as a playoff to qualify for the Champions League. Which eventually ended up leaving Chelsea the master of their final day destiny to secure a place in the Top 4.
Post Match Reaction
The Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel looked impressed by his team performance. In an interview with Sky Sports after the match, he said
“It was an outstanding performance but the job is not done. We have two more to go.” referencing the Premier League clash with Aston Villa in their next match.
He further added
“The fans made a huge difference. You see the speed in our game, the hunger, the ambition. We needed exactly that today. It was a big win but it is not time for celebration yet.”
Reflecting at Leicester City’s performance their boss Brendan Rodgers said
“We had to get goalscorers in the team and have that creativity because there is no point playing a similar system if you do not have the players to play it the way you want.”
What lies ahead for Chelsea and Leicester City
With just one last fixture remaining to play it would be interesting to see who can hold on to their positions in the Premier League table. On one hand, Chelsea will have their faith in their own hands. A win for the Blues will make sure they finish at the 3ed spot and eventually qualifying for the Champions League.
While for Leicester City, they would not only require to win but be victors with a greater margin. If Liverpool wins both of their remaining fixtures The Foxes will have their faith decided by the Goal difference if they ae the victors against Spurs on the last match day.
