The Blues are still without a win in 2018 after a fourth draw in a row at home to Leicester City on Saturday at Stamford Bridge. For the third game in a row, Chelsea were unable to find the net but were lucky to keep a clean sheet after Leicester dominated for much of the game. Despite the Foxes going down to 10 men after Ben Chilwelll was sent off in the second half, Alvaro Morata and co. couldn’t find the breakthrough.
The danger signs were there for Chelsea right at the start of the match when Shinji Okazaki had a great chance to put the visitors a goal up but he couldn’t convert Chilwell’s cut-back from close range. Gary Cahill started alongside Antonio Rudiger and Cesar Azpilicueta in defence – a back 3 that haven’t played together much this season and it showed. Leicester and Jamie Vardy in particular were causing all sorts of problems and the Englishman almost found Okazaki with a low cross but there was Azpilicueta to block the striker’s effort.
Wilfried Ndidi had a free header from the resulting corner after losing Rudiger but Thibaut Courtois got down well to parry the shot away. Up the other end, Eden Hazard found Cesc Fabregas but the angle was too tight for the Spaniard and his shot was comfortably saved by Kasper Schmeichel. Gary Cahill pulled up whilst trying to shepherd Vardy away from goal and was replaced by Andreas Christensen in the centre of the back 3. Riyad Mahrez was having a field day down the right wing and sent a wild shot over before hitting a perfect cross across goal but none of his teammates could take advantage and the ball ran out and away from danger.
Rudiger was caught in possession in his own box by Vardy and the ball eventually fell to Marc Albrighton who fired just wide of the near post but the home crowd were getting extremely restless. Fabregas went close again just before half time when his long-range strike was tipped over by Schmeichel but that was as good as it got for Chelsea who struggled to create chances against a sturdy Leicester defence. The half time whistle sounded to some boos from the Chelsea fans but at least the home side weren’t going in behind.
Chelsea started the second half in similar fashion as Christensen was dispossessed by Vardy in his own penalty area and the ball fell to Riyad Mahrez who danced past a couple of defenders before going down under the challenge of Christensen. It was a very theatrical fall from Mahrez, dragging his leg into the Dane’s outstretched one and going over. Mike Jones thought nothing of it and waved play on but, in reality, Mahrez should’ve seen yellow for diving.
The Algerian almost found the net moments later when his shot deflected off Christensen and bounced just wide of the near post with Courtois, already going the other way, stranded. The impatience was growing from the Chelsea crowd and some fans were perplexed to see Hazard and Fabregas taken off before the hour mark with Willian and Pedro coming on in their place. Two fouls from Chilwell on Willian and then Moses drew two yellow cards for the youngster and the left back was dismissed with over 20 minutes to go.
The home side grew in confidence playing against 10 men and started to dominate. N’Golo Kante and Tiemoue Bakayoko went close with long range efforts but the best chance fell to Marcos Alonso in stoppage time when Vicente Iborra brought down Willian on the edge of the Leicester area. Alonso already has two free kick goals to his name in the Premier League this season and sent this one through the Leicester wall and arrowing towards to bottom corner but there was Schmeichel to bat it away and the points were shared.
In the end, Chelsea were rather lucky to come away from Stamford Bridge with a point after a lackluster display saw them create very little. A delve into the January transfer market may be on the agenda for Antonio Conte after already bringing in Ross Barkley from Everton but it looks as if the Blues need a couple of fresh faces in the squad before a huge February ahead.
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