CHELSEA BEAT LEICESTER CITY TO IMPROVE THEIR CHAMPIONS LEAGUE HOPES AND PUT THE FOXES IN JEOPARDY.
Only three days later, Leicester defeated Chelsea 1-0 in the FA Cup final. Chelsea won thanks to goals from Antonio Rudiger and Jorginho in front of 8,000 fans.
The Foxes were given hope by Kelechi Iheanacho. However, they did not create enough chances to merit anything from the game.
Chelsea’s victory moves them up to third place in the table. At the same time, a win over Burnley on Wednesday could knock Leicester City out of fifth place.
As Rudiger bundled home from close range from a corner, there was no doubt that Thomas Tuchel’s side deserved to win.
Jorginho sealed the game with a penalty after Wesley Fofana clipped Timo Werner.
They were also unlucky not to be ahead at the break. Werner had a penalty appeal turned down and two goals were disallowed.
Leicester now needs to score after Iheanacho’s goal came after good pressure from Wilfred Ndidi. On the big day, either score three goals against Tottenham Hotspur or hope Liverpool loses.
There was a late melee in which most of the players and thus the benches were involved. Leicester’s Ricardo Pereira and unused substitute Daniel Amartey were both booked.
Chelsea’s revenge for Wembley boosts the Champions League bid.
Chelsea was disappointed to lose the FA Cup final on Saturday. Tuchel has the chance to win his first trophy in English football.
The Blues will now have a second opportunity to win a trophy. The big one will be when they face Manchester City in the Champions League final in 11 days.
They improved their chances of returning to the tournament the following season. And understand that a win at Aston Villa on the final day secures their top-four spot.
Chelsea felt cheated when a late ‘equalizer’ was disallowed by VAR on Saturday.
And thousands of fans vented their displeasure with VAR after several decisions went against them. Stamford Bridge is in the first half.
Werner was first tackled within the box by Youri Tielemans. However, he has somehow punished himself. There was no VAR investigation into that one.
Then Werner was flagged for offside as he scored from Mason Mount’s first-time pass, eliminating the need for VAR.
Werner believed he had attained his objective. They also celebrated with the fans. He had bundled the ball in with his arm, not his head, as VAR correctly determined.
Chelsea’s frustrations were alleviated in the second half when Jamie Vardy unintentionally flicked a Ben Chilwell corner. Into the path of Rudiger, who scored with his thigh.
Then, when Fofana unnecessarily fouled Werner, a VAR decision went in Chelsea’s favor, with Jorginho scoring the penalty.
Chelsea did manage to set up an exciting finish for themselves. By attempting to play their defensive resolution with Mateo Kovacic losing the ball to Ndidi. Who established Iheanacho, but they persisted.
Leicester has Returned to Earth
Whatever happens now for Leicester, this is likely to be the club’s second most successful season. Because of their first-ever FA Cup victory, they finished second in the Premier League in 2015-16.
Let’s say they don’t make the top four. That victory will be easier to demand than last season’s league collapse, which also saw them miss out.
But they’ll be disappointed if they don’t win at Stamford Bridge. They’d have secured their place in the Champions League for the following season.
On the final day, they need either Burnley or Crystal Palace to defeat Liverpool or to beat Tottenham by a minimum of 3-0. If the Reds win by more than one goal, they will require even more goals.
They were fantastic against Chelsea on Saturday but fell short in this game.
After an hour, Iheanacho’s introduction made them appear to be a more solid team. He gave them hope with a first-time strike that forced Edouard Mendy to save.
That goal gave the Nigerian the strange distinction of being the first player to score in the Premier League. On all seven days of the year.
They did have one final opportunity to level. And it was a massive one, as an unmarked Ayoze Perez shot over the crossbar as the clock struck 90.
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