Marc Cucurella's second-half goal was enough for Chelsea to beat Leicester City 1-0 at Stamford Bridge on Sunday and leapfrog Manchester City into fourth spot.
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Cole Palmer had seen a first-half penalty brilliantly saved by Mads Hermansen to extend his goal drought to nine matches in all competitions, with the Blues becoming increasingly frustrated before Cucurella struck.
The Spaniard received the ball in space and picked out the bottom corner with a sweet hit, netting his fourth goal in eight home matches.
Leicester came closest when Tosin Adarabioyo headed onto his own crossbar in the first half but failed to threaten once they were behind as they fell to a fifth consecutive Premier League defeat, having failed to score in all five.
In leading his side to victory over his former club for the second time this season, Enzo Maresca takes Chelsea back up to fourth, while Leicester remain six points below the dotted line in 19th.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
29 | +42 | 70 |
| 2 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
28 | +28 | 55 |
| 3 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
28 | +12 | 51 |
| 4 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
28 | +17 | 49 |
How the match unfolded
The first half was a story of two near misses at each end, despite Chelsea's domination in the main.
Jadon Sancho won a penalty in the 19th minute after Victor Kristiansen's foul, only for Palmer to see his firm effort from the spot excellently pushed away from the bottom corner by Hermansen.
It is the first time he has ever missed from 12 yards in the Premier League, having converted all 12 of his previous penalties.
Leicester then went close at the other end, with Chelsea only able to watch as Tosin nodded onto his own crossbar after Robert Sanchez misjudged the flight of a cross.
The Foxes appeared comfortable after the break until Cucurella opened up the game with a moment of class. He drilled low into the far corner from distance when afforded too much space on the left.
Leicester offered little in their attempts for an equaliser but needed Hermansen to keep the scoreline down with a late save to keep out Enzo Fernandez as Chelsea edged over the line.
Cole needs a goal
Chelsea got there in the end, but it is clear that Palmer is suffering his first true dip in form since signing for the club.
His penalty miss was the latest example of how things just are not going his way during a nine-match goal drought, though the England international certainly cannot be accused of going missing.
Palmer made his presence known in his 72 minutes on the field; he had more shots than anyone, including an unfortunate one that was blocked by his own team-mate, while lining up efforts from distance in trademark fashion, but they were flying off target.
He remained heavily involved in Chelsea’s attacking efforts, and the feeling is that if one goes in it will get things moving again.
There is no doubt a run this long without a goal is uncharacteristic and could not have been predicted after Palmer netted 14 times in his first 23 appearances of the season.
Palmer's own drought has coincided with Chelsea's dip in form and while they picked up three points on this occasion, they will be hoping he can rediscover his shooting boots as they continue their fight for a top-four finish, with Arsenal up next in the league.
Foxes' fight falls short
Leicester had lost 12 of their 14 previous league matches and are entrenched in the bottom three, but there was no sign that they are resigned to their fate at Stamford Bridge.
Wilfred Ndidi marshalled the midfield with a resolute showing, while Conor Coady and Wout Faes threw their bodies in front of everything. Luke Thomas also impressed against Sancho on just his fourth league start of the season.
Hermansen, meanwhile, is a stand-out performer and looks to have a big future at this level, excellently standing up to the threat Chelsea did show, with a special moment from Cucurella needed to beat him.
But while Ruud van Nistelrooy can reflect on a much-improved effort from those that saw them concede 12 goals in their previous four Premier League matches, he has still ultimately presided over five straight defeats.
Their lack of goals is also proving a worry as they have lacked the firepower to win the points required, and next week’s meeting with former club Manchester United looks a vital one for the Leicester head coach.
Club reports
Chelsea report | Leicester report
What the managers said
Enzo Maresca: "They gave everything and were unbelievable. It's not happy when you prepare for one thing and the other team arrives here and it's completely different. Between first and second halves, we created enough to win the game.
"Marc [Cucurella] scored a fantastic goal but we had more chances to score a second one. It's not easy for the players because we had to adapt and they did that fantastic."
Ruud van Nistelrooy: "A lot of spirit and heart combined with good football. Off the ball as well, a new shape. We looked solid. Great teamwork and energy. I can't praise the players enough for this performance and they deserved points.
"They never gave up. I see them every day in training. They work really hard. They were just too protective in the first half. Anything can happen but not that. We go for it."
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Key facts
Chelsea have won back-to-back Premier League matches for the first time since a run of five victories between November and December 2024.
Palmer missed a Premier League penalty for the first time, with today's the 13th he has taken, ending the best 100 per cent success record from the spot in the competition in the process.
Leicester have lost five consecutive league matches without scoring for only the third time in their history, after January 1981 and February 2017.
