Leicester 1 Chelsea 2 – Fernandez makes his mark and a great Madueke-Palmer mix-up

Nicolas Jackson and Enzo Fernandez found the net as Chelsea cruised to a comfortable 2-1 away win against Leicester City.

However, the margin of victory could have been greater when Noni Madueke had a goal disallowed in the first half after provider Marc Cucurella was adjudged to be offside in the build-up. Then, after half-time, the England winger inexplicably failed to jump the ball as Cole Palmer aimed into an empty net, with Madueke preventing his team-mate from getting on the scoresheet.

Leicester reduced the deficit via a late Jordan Ayew penalty after Romeo Lavia tripped Bobby De Cordova-Reid in the area, but Chelsea’s dominance was rarely challenged.

Simon Johnson breaks down the key talking points from Enzo Maresca’s first return to the King Power Stadium as Chelsea manager since leading Leicester to promotion as EFL champions in May.

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Maduke’s goal-saving block (to deny teammate Palmer)

Palmer is increasingly used to players trying to stop him from finding the net these days, but he’s not used to one of his teammates being one of those to deny him.

In the 54th minute on Saturday, he looked set to double the visitors’ 1-0 lead.

A great move ended with Jackson’s shot being palmed directly to Palmer at the back post by goalkeeper Mads Hermansen.

Palmer fired the ball towards the unguarded near-post area and looked ready to celebrate, but a leaping Madueke was in the way and accidentally deflected the shot into a goal kick.

It was the kind of block that any Chelsea defender would be proud of down the other end of the pitch.

The players saw the funny side. Palmer laughed and joked with Madueke, who rather sheepishly did the same.

Maresca, however, did not seem quite so amused. With the game still far from won at that point, he looked a combination of frustrated, disbelieving and despairing on the sidelines.

Fortunately for Chelsea, it didn’t matter in the end.

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Did Fernandez prove his worth?

It hasn’t been the easiest of seasons so far for Fernandez, but he’s starting to give everyone a little reminder why Chelsea bought him for £106m last January.

This was Fernandez’s first start in the Premier League since October 6, when he struggled during a 1-1 home draw against Nottingham Forest. While he has instead been a regular in Chelsea’s ‘B team’ and played in the Carabao Cup and Conference League, this is a man who expects to play top football.

Lavia has been preferred in Premier League games by Maresca, but the Belgium international was named on the bench against Leicester, perhaps as a result of feeling some discomfort in his hamstring while on international duty over the previous two weeks.

Fernandez provides more attacking threat than Lavia, but doesn’t offer the same level of defensive cover. In the first 30 minutes here, his ability on the ball helped Chelsea dominate possession.

It also led to them taking the lead, the 23-year-old setting up Jackson after the striker initially robbed Wout Fae of possession. It took Fernandez’s tally of assists for Chelsea and Argentina to five from his last six appearances: a good return and one that also shows some growing confidence.

But as Leicester grew into the game, there were still reminders of why playing Fernandez is a risk in relation to the defensive balance. On two occasions before the break, he was caught on the pitch and unable to get back, leaving midfield partner Moises Caicedo isolated. This led to the home team getting two very good chances.

However, his afternoon still ended on a high, scoring the decisive second with a rare header after 75 minutes.

It was his first Chelsea goal in nine months and a number of his team-mates, including some potential substitutes warming up, joined in the celebrations.

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How was Maresca received when he returned to Leicester?

Usually when a manager/head coach returns to a club where he has been very successful, they get a warm welcome from the stands.

Maresca may have only spent one season in charge at Leicester, but he secured their promotion from the Championship at the first attempt when they went up as champions six months ago.

However, you would never have known it when he returned to the King Power Stadium today for the first time since leaving for Chelsea this summer.

There was a nice greeting from Leicester chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha in the matchday program – and also successor Steve Cooper. There were also smiles and handshakes with the club’s staff in the corridors before the match started.

But in terms of interaction with the fans, there was nothing. No grand announcement over the public address system, not even a sign of cheers or boos when he was in the technical area. It’s almost as if they deliberately set out to try and ignore the fact that Maresca was back and now in the away box, although the Italian enjoyed some heated exchanges with a couple of the Leicester substitutes during a first-half VAR check on Maduekes eventually. disallowed goal.

It is always a cause of frustration at a club when a key figure – whether a player or manager – chooses to go elsewhere. Maresca wasn’t wildly popular at the back end of last season, when Leicester’s automatic promotion seemed in jeopardy. But he still accomplished what he was asked to do, but you would have believed on today’s evidence that he was a stranger.

Maresca was clearly not disturbed. In fact, when Leicester’s Harry Winks was injured early on, he was the one who ordered the Chelsea players to kick the ball out so he could receive treatment.

A telling final sign of respect from Maresca came at the final whistle. Instead of joining the Chelsea players as they walked over to acknowledge the away fans – something he regularly does after games – he stayed on the sidelines.

Obviously, he didn’t want to antagonize or upset anyone.

It also gave him the chance to exchange final pleasantries with Leicester players and staff. It proved that there are no hard feelings – well, at least among the professionals at his former club.

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What did Maresca say?

“Today I thought it was the right play to use Enzo, even though he was back from international duty (late). I think he did very well.

“I’m trying to convince Enzo, in the same way I did last year with (Wilfred) Ndidi and Kiernan (Dewsbury-Hall), that attacking midfielders must arrive in the box. The reason he scored today was because he was inside the box – if he was outside the box he wouldn’t have scored the goal.

“We are happy with the way Enzo is doing.”

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What next for Chelsea?

Thursday 28 November: Heidenheim (A), Conference League, 5.45pm UK, 12.45pm ET

Sunday 1 December: Aston Villa (H), Premier League, 1.30pm UK, 8.30am ET

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(Top photo: Chris Lee – Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)