Chelsea vs. Leicester City result, highlights and analysis as Raheem Sterling strikes twice for 10-man Blues

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STAMFORD BRIDGE, LONDON — A Raheem Sterling brace ensured 10-man Chelsea got back to winning ways as they edged a narrow 2-1 win over Leicester City.

The Foxes had plenty of chances and despite playing an hour of the match with a man-advantage thanks to Conor Gallagher’s’ sending-off, Harvey Barnes’ second-half goal proved only to be a consolation.

Already without a manager barking instructions on the touchline with Thomas Tuchel serving a one-game suspension, Gallagher gave his side an even tougher task when he was handed his marching orders before the half hour mark. 

Gallagher was the first name into the Paul Tierney’s book after he tripped Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and just a few moments later he clumsily broke up a Leicester counter-attack by chopping down Barnes.

Prior to Gallagher’s dismissal on 29 minutes, Chelsea were much the better side and Ruben Loftus-Cheek should have converted at the back post from Sterling’s cross but Danny Ward saved brilliantly from point-blank range.

Loftus-Cheek thought he’d won the Blues a penalty shortly after following a coming-together with Youri Tielemans but a VAR check saw it ruled out due to Kai Havertz being offside in the build-up.

Leicester’s chances were few and far between in the opening 45 but Jamie Vardy and Timothy Castagne both had big chances late on with the former dragging his effort wide and then Edouard Mendy denying the Belgian with a big save on the stroke of half-time.

Sterling finally found the breakthrough at the start of the second half with a bit of magic, whipping in a curled, lobbed effort from the edge of the box and by 63 minutes he had his second of the afternoon after tapping in at the back post following a pinpoint cross from Reece James.

Barnes led the fightback by combining with Vardy to get his team back on track with a low shot to beat Mendy at his near post, but Chelsea held firm to nab all three points despite Ayoze Perez also hitting the bar late on.

Conor Gallagher’s red card 

Chelsea received just one red card in the league in the entirety of last season. Four games into this campaign and they’ve already doubled that. Kalidou Koulibaly received his marching orders in the 3-0 defeat to Leeds last weekend and Gallagher was the fall guy this afternoon.

Gallagher is well known for his hard-work ethic and tough-tackling style in the middle of the pitch and Crystal Palace fans were no stranger to seeing him pick up a booking on loan last season – but he never crossed the line and got sent off. The 22-year-old is hungry to prove he has what it takes to cut it in Chelsea’s midfield but today that eagerness came back to bite him.

A player with his energy can’t afford to pick up a yellow so early on in a match, knowing the inevitable booking is bound to come at some point, but that’s exactly what he managed after just 22 minutes as he tripped Dewsbury-Hall when he got away from him on the left wing. It’s almost unforgivable to get a second yellow seven minutes later, this time taking out Barnes in Leicester’s own half as they mounted a counter-attack. Tuchel described it as a “very bad decision” in his post-match press conference and no doubt Gallagher will learn from his mistakes. “He is reponsible for what he did and of course he knows it was a huge mistake,” said Tuchel.

That message is loud and clear and luckily it didn’t cost them today but Tuchel will want to nip these red cards in the bud early doors to avoid having key players missing for matches. Tuchel says his side must cut out the “unnecessary” red cards… but he may want to wait until he’s back on the touchline himself next week from his own suspension before he starts lecturing his players.

Raheem Sterling’s up and running

While Erling Haaland’s bagged six goals in his four league matches for Manchester City at Sterling’s old club so far, the England international has taken a while to find his feet in west London. Playing down the middle of a front three with Mason Mount and Kai Havertz doesn’t seem to have fully clicked but the former City star showed exactly what he’s capable of today when given the responsibility of leading Chelsea’s line with his two teammates offering up little threat against the Foxes.

It took Sterling just a couple of neat touches in the second half to produce a moment of quality as he carved out an inch of space on the left side of the box and curled one over Ward into the top right corner. But just as capable as he is in producing wonder strikes like that, he’s also the player you want running into the box to tap home from close range. That’s exactly what he did as he timed his run to the back post to meet James’ cross and give the Blues some much needed breathing space.

“We need him to score, it’s what he does,” said Tuchel after the match. “I could feel he was not happy and wanted more chances, so we played a more aggressive shape in the first half but were then one man down. We needed him to step up and he did.”

Sterling was denied the chance of getting a hat-trick when he was taken off on 75 minutes but while he’s not got the same price-tag pressure as Haaland he has still got plenty to prove and now with the first goals under his belt he’ll be hoping to build on today’s performance. 

The Wesley Fofana impact

Considering there was no player on the pitch by the name of Wesley Fofana the Frenchman certainly made plenty of headlines. Whether it was the travelling Foxes fans chanting “Wesley Fofana is a w*****” or Rodgers refusing several times to give any update on whether he’s played his last game for the club, the 21-year-old’s future remains the subject of interest.

Fofana is closing in on a move to Stamford Bridge in what’s being reported as a £75m transfer fee. A player of that cost is surely not going to be a bench player for Tuchel, just like we’ve seen with £63m summer signing Marc Cucurella slot into Chelsea’s backline and keep Ben Chilwell out of the side.

You’d expect Fofana to do the same but who does Tuchel drop? Kalidou Koulibaly, another summer arrival, has looked impressive so far despite his sending off against Leeds, and a player of Thiago Silva’s experience won’t be sitting on the bench anytime soon. Trevoh Chalobah was handed his first start of the season to replace Koulibaly today and albeit for Jamie Vardy getting the better of him on one occasion in a one vs. one situation, the 23-year-old more than held his own.

Chelsea fans will be hoping the Cobham graduate, who had his breakthrough season last campaign, isn’t another player that heads out the door but if Fofana arrives before next week’s transfer deadline, as expected, it could leave Chalobah’s game time limited and a loan move could be on the cards.

The Sporting News was following the match live and providing score updates and commentary below.

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Chelsea vs. Leicester City final score

  1H 2H Final
Chelsea  0 2 2
Leicester 0 1 1

Goals:

CHE — Raheem Sterling — 47th min.

CHE — Raheem Sterling — 63rd min.

LEI — Harvey Barnes — 66th min.

Chelsea vs. Leicester City live updates, highlights from Premier League

FULL-TIME: Chelsea 2-1 Leicester

93rd min: Chelsea survive a late corner that even goalkeeper Ward came up for as Vardy shanks one into the side netting.

91st min: Havertz picks up a yellow card. The Chelsea fans are whistling in anticipation of the end of this game.

90th min + 1: Chilwell is on for Cucurella. Imagine he scores now… or worse gives away a penalty.

90th min: Four added minutes. Chelsea are hanging on.

89th min: Last roll of the dice for Rodgers as Ndidi comes on for Tielemans.

88th min: Off the bar! Perez is played in down the right and thunders a strike above Mendy and the ball strikes the bar, bounces down, and Chelsea somehow clear! Chelsea are living dangerously.

84th min: Another ball over the top, this time Vardy shrugs off the challenge of Chalobah but Mendy comes out again and forces him wide to narrow the angle. Vardy fires into the side netting.

82nd min: Rodgers looks to the floor as another Leicester corner comes to nothing. The Foxes are still knocking on the door but time’s running out to find an equaliser and make the extra man advantage count.

78th min: Mendy denies Vardy! The striker again gets behind the backline, takes one touch and then fires one goal-bound but Mendy is equal to it. Two big chances missed now for the 35-year-old.

75th min: They’ll be no hat-trick for Sterling today as he’s taken off along with Jorginho. Christian Pulisic and Mateo Kovacic replace them. 

73rd min: Barnes does well to create a yard of space for himself on the left and drills a shot to Mendy’s near post but the goalkeeper is down quickly and makes a smart save.

71st min: Cucurella comes bursting down the left wing and does well to pick out James on the opposite side but his first-time effort is well blocked.

68th min: Chelsea can’t clear their lines and the ball falls to Iheanacho on the edge of the box but he curls a shot wide.

66th min: GOAL! Chelsea 2-1 Leicester

Game on! Barnes plays a lovely one-two with Vardy before getting his shot across Thiago Silva and it beats Mendy at his near post.

63rd min: GOAL! Chelsea 2-0 Leicester

Sterling gets another! He runs to the back post unmarked and taps in from two yards out. James with the assist, a lovely cross in between the keeper and the defender to pick out Sterling for his second of the game.

61st min: Iheanacho goes on a mazy run down the middle before laying it off to Barnes on the edge of the box but his curled effort goes over.

57th min: The Foxes are starting to enjoy a little more possession but it’s not quite coming off in the final third. Chelsea’s defence are withstanding the test so far.

53rd min: Double change for Leicester as Kelechi Iheanacho and Ayoze Perez come on for Praet and Soumare.

50th min: Chelsea so close to a second! Cucurella puts in a low cross from the left which finds Sterling at the back but his shot back across Ward strikes the post.

47th min: GOAL! Chelsea 1-0 Leicester

Sterling gets an inch of space on the left side of the box and curls one into the top corner. It looks like it should have taken a deflection to lift up and over Ward but it doesn’t. Pure magic from Sterling. The perfect start for the hosts after the break.

46th min: Just the one change at the break, Cesar Azpilicueta is on for Mason Mount.

We’re underway!

HALF-TIME: Chelsea 0-0 Leicester

45th min +2: A massive save from Mendy denies Timothy Castagne at the end of the half. Mendy had to come out and make himself big to stop the Frenchman slotting it past him from the right side of the box.

45th min: Huge chance for Jamie Vardy! The striker times his run perfectly in behind the Chelsea backline but as Mendy comes out he takes the shot first time and drags it just wide of the post.

44th min: Sterling whips one in from the left which Havertz fails to connect with but the ball falls kindly to James who rattles a shot from a tight angle and it crashes into the side netting.

41st min: Chelsea break from Leicester’s corner with Loftus-Cheek carrying the ball up the field and playing it to Sterling. Dennis Praet fouls the England international and picks up a yellow card. A dangerous free-kick from Reece James is well cleared.

38th min: Sterling looks lively every time he gets the ball but Leicester are keeping him at bay for now. He needs a few more options around him.

34th min: Leicester are enjoying a bit more possession now and win two corners in the space of a minute. The second sees Barnes’ header go in off the post and over the line but it’s ruled out for a foul on Edouard Mendy.

31st min: The tackles are flying in! Dewsbury-Hall gets a yellow for a late lunge on Marc Cucurella.

29th min: I did say it was quiet…. RED CARD! Leicester break away from a Chelsea corner and Gallagher trips Barnes. It’s not malicious but it was a silly tackle and he’s given his marching orders. That will give Leicester plenty of belief now. 

26th min: A little quiet on the pitch at the moment but Ben Chilwell’s just come out to warm up on the touchline in front of the Leicester fans and he’s met with chants of “he sits on the bench” and “we forgot you were here.” Ouch.

22nd min: Gallagher is the first name into the referee’s book after he trips Dewsbury-Hall.

19th min: Sterling does brilliantly to hold the ball up and plays a through ball into Havertz’s path but a brilliant sliding tackle from Jonny Evans denies him. The defender is down receiving treatment as a result but looks to be ok to continue.

16th min: That decision hasn’t deterred Chelsea though who continue to press high on the pitch. Good pressure leads to a corner but it’s easily cleared.

12th min: Penalty Chelsea! Loftus-Cheek is clumsily barge over by Youri Tielemans and Paul Tierney points straight to the spot. There’s a VAR check though and it seems Kai Havertz was just offside in the lead up to playing the pass to Loftus-Cheek. 

10th min: Loftus-Cheek does well to find some space down the right and gets to the byline before pulling the ball back across the goal but no Chelsea attacker is there to meet it.

7th min: Huge chance! Raheem Sterling gets down the left and crosses a low ball to Ruben Loftus-Cheek arriving at the back post who has to score from six yards but he’s denied by a brilliant point-blank save from Danny Ward.

5th min: James Justin does well to get the ball down Chelsea’s end and Leicester win a corner. It fails to get past the first man though.

2nd min: Biggest cheer so far goes to a brilliant slide tackle from Conor Gallagher to deny Harvey Barnes on the break down the left wing

We’re underway!

2 mins from kickoff: Here come the teams! It’s absolutely scorching at Stamford Bridge. Poor Chelsea players coming out in their tracksuit tops while Leicester are ready to go.

10 mins from kickoff: A few key stats ahead of the match then…

It’s not great reading for Leicester sadly – they have won just one of their last 10 Premier League away games against Chelsea (D4, L5).

Should Chelsea lose today it will be the first time they’ve suffered back-to-back defeats in the Premier League under Thomas Tuchel.

We should expect goals from Chelsea given the Foxes have kept a clean sheet in just one of their last 27 away league games.

20 mins from kickoff: Much of the build up to this match as centred around a player who is not even playing today – Wesley Fofana. The defender has been strongly linked with a switch to Chelsea and it seems the clubs have now agreed a fee of around £75m for his transfer. Rodgers opted to leave the talented 21-year-old out of his plans this week and he’s been training with the Under 23s while his move goes through. Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano claims meetings between the clubs on Friday saw them reach an agreement. 

40 mins from kickoff: Why is Thomas Tuchel not in the dugout against Leicester?

Well, remember that handshake with Antonio Conte earlier this month? Tuchel’s appeal against a one-match touchline ban – that also saw him fined £35,000 – was dismissed on Friday. The Spurs boss received a £15,000 fine with the Football Association’s independent regulatory commission stating Tuchel was the instigator of the bizarre incident, saying he was “highly provocative” and was “largely culpable” for the clash.

As a result Tuchel won’t be in the dugout against Leicester and will instead be in the stands.

“I think there are two sides to it,” Tuchel said. “The one side is that I got a red card and I behaved in a way that is not appropriate and I regret. But it was out of passion and I don’t think it was aggressive. But I can accept if I get a red card that there is a touchline ban.

“What is hard to accept is the context, that I don’t think I started the aggression, and that it started earlier. And we both got a red card. And for a firm handshake at the end of the match one coach is banned, this is very hard to accept – but I have to accept it.

“In future, you will just a hear a no comment from me on referees. No matter how big it is this is obviously what they want.”

60 mins from kickoff: The teams are in…

For Chelsea, Trevor Chalobah makes his first start of the season to replace Koulibaly in a back three.

For Leicester, it turns out Maddison isn’t even fit enough to make the squad so Boubakary Soumare comes in for him.

Ayoze Perez and Wilfried Ndidi also make way for Dennis Praet and Youri Tielemans. 

90 mins from kickoff: The big team news decision for Tuchel will see a reshuffle at the back following Kalidou Koulibaly’s red card against Leeds. Conor Gallagher was handed a rare start in midfield against Leeds but struggled in a deeper midfield role. That could see Ruben Loftus-Cheek moved centrally into midfield and Ben Chilwell come into the side as a left-wing back.

As for Rodgers, he’ll be hoping Maddison has passed a late fitness test and is fit enough to start. He’s scored in both his last two Premier League outings and would be a huge loss to Leicester’s midfield.

120 mins from kickoff: Hello, and welcome to The Sporting News’ live coverage of Chelsea vs. Leicester City. We’re live at Stamford Bridge and will be bringing you team updates in about an hour’s time. We’ll also be on Wesley Fofana watch in case he’s managed to make it here. More on that later.

Chelsea vs. Leicester City lineups

Chelsea starting lineup (3-4-3): Mendy (GK) — Cucurella, Silva, Azpilicueta — Chilwell, Jorginho, Loftus-Cheek, James — Sterling, Havertz, Mount.

Chelsea subs: Arrizabalaga, Kovacic, Politic, Broja, Hudson-Odoi, Chilwell, Ziyech, Azpilicueta, Ampadu.

Leicester starting lineup (4-1-4-1): Ward (GK) — Justin, Evans, Amartey, Castagne — Soumare — Barnes, Dewsbury-Hall, Tielemans, Praet — Vardy.

Leicester subs: Iversen, Soyuncu, Albrighton, Iheanacho, Perez, Daka, Mendy, Ndidi, Thomas.

What time is Chelsea vs. Leicester City?

Chelsea play host to Leicester at Stamford Bridge in London, UK. It kicks off at 3 p.m. BST on Saturday, August 27.

  UK USA Canada Australia
Date Saturday, August 27 Saturday, August 27 Saturday, August 27 Sunday, August 28
Time 15:00 BST 10:00 ET 10:00 ET 00:00 AEST

How to watch Chelsea vs. Leicester

  UK USA Canada Australia
TV channel — — — —
Streaming — Peacock fuboTV Optus Sport

UK: Matches at 3 p.m. on a Saturday are not broadcast on TV or online.

USA: The match will be streamed on NBC platform Peacock for subscribers.

Canada: Every Premier League game streams live and on demand exclusively via fuboTV.

Australia: Fans in Australia can stream matches live and on demand on Optus Sport. 

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