Chelsea beat Leicester 2-1 in crunch top-four battle
Chelsea seized control of their destiny in the Premier League top-four battle as they avenged their FA Cup final defeat by Leicester City to beat them 2-1 at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday. Roared on by 8 000 fans Thomas Tuchel’s side dominated and were rewarded after the break with Antonio Rudiger bundling in their opener […]
Antonio Rudiger
Chelsea seized control of their destiny in the Premier League top-four battle as they avenged their FA Cup final defeat by Leicester City to beat them 2-1 at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.
Roared on by 8 000 fans Thomas Tuchel’s side dominated and were rewarded after the break with Antonio Rudiger bundling in their opener before Jorginho rolled home a penalty.
Timo Werner twice had goals ruled out before the break while Leicester, who looked flat after Saturday’s celebrations, offered little threat until Kelechi Iheanacho gave the visitors a lifeline with a cool finish in the 74th minute.
It was a nervy climax and Ayoze Perez wasted a glorious late chance to equalise but Chelsea clung on for a priceless win that moved them into third place on 67 points with one game remaining, meaning a win at Aston Villa on Sunday will guarantee them Champions League football next season.
For Leicester there is now the looming possibility that they will let a Champions League berth slip through their fingers for the second season in succession.
They could have ensured a top-four finish had they won at Stamford Bridge.