Not quite the impressive performance from their opening match, but Chelsea once again proved their worth with a 2-0 win over a stubborn Leicester side, completely dominating the second half with Diego Costa and Eden Hazard getting on the score sheet.
Leicester didn’t score an early goal like Burnley in the first match Chelsea had this season, but they did trouble Thibaut Courtois quite consistently through the first 60 minutes. Obviously, Kasper Schmeichel was the busiest player on the pitch, as Chelsea finished with 27 shots at goal, 10 of them on target, but this wasn’t your regular match between a newly promoted side and a would-be champion.
The first goal came thanks to Diego Costsa never giving up on a chance in the box. A confusing situation left Schmeichel on the ground, but Costa reacted quickly to the situation and scored his second goal in two matches for his new club. Chelsea kept on pressing as Eden Hazard 14 minutes later showed his individual brilliance and that he put his awful World Cup behind him by beating Marc Albrighton in a one on one and sending an accurate shot to the corner for a goal that cemented the win.
David Nugent and Jose Ulloa were very dangerous throughout the match, troubling Chelsea through counter attacks. Unfortunately for visitors, who managed to hold Everton to a draw on their return match to the Premier League, Courtois was in excellent form, showing that close or far, he’s quite prepared to now become a star for his club in the Premier League after doing so well in the La Liga.
Cesc Fabregas didn’t have the influence he did in the first match for Chelsea, but still, the combination of him and Nemanja Matic with Oscar dropping back to make it a very solid trio in the middle of the park will be very troubling to almost every team in the league. However, we still need to see Chelsea against more formidable opposition, which will be coming soon enough, in order to decide whether this is really a special team for the long run and not just early on.
Leicester, out of all the promoted sides, seem like the one best prepared to make this season about staying up and not just a money run before going back down to the Championship. They didn’t bow down to a much better side, although compliments don’t make teams avoid relegation. Also for Chelsea, winning points in August and September don’t win championships.