Chelsea 2-1 Leicester City: 5 talking points as Foxes blow UCL hopes?
By Nathan Wong
“It’s the hope that kills”. This remains a phrase commonly used by fans of most clubs; Leicester City included. After a demoralising defeat at the Bridge, such words are painfully true as the Foxes fell to their 11th loss of the season, putting their Champions League aspirations on a knife-edge.
With Chelsea intent on revenge, the Foxes were always on the back foot from the get-go. Whilst LCFC limped to half-time unscathed, this wasn’t to last with Chelsea pressing home their advantage with two goals after half-time.
Despite a neat finish from Iheanacho, halving the deficit, the Foxes were unable to snatch a late equaliser in a game they didn’t deserve anything from.
1. FA Cup hangover or Chelsea revenge?
Saturday was undoubtedly one of the proudest moments in the history of the club, and defeat tonight doesn’t take away from this. The display however is indicative of how mentally and physically draining the cup-final display was.
Thus, it was somewhat unreasonable to expect a repeat of Saturday, especially with Chelsea having the home advantage.
On the other hand, the Blues after their perceived injustices and Amartey’s ‘disrespect’ were out for vengeance. Combined with Leicester’s fatigue, it set up a largely one-sided encounter.
A sign of how fast things can change, defeat changes the picture for UCL qualification, with Liverpool now a serious threat to the Foxes’ aspirations.