EPL: Chelsea See Blue As Leicester Regain Top Spot

Jamie Vardy scored his 15th goal of the season to put the home-side ahead before half-time following a delightful cross from team-mate Riyad Mahrez as he finished off with a crisp volley to beat goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

Algeria international Mahrez curled in a stunning second from the edge of the area three minutes into the second half to put Leicester beyond reach.

Chelsea substitute Loic Remy pulled one back but Foxes comfortably resisted any late pressure from Chelsea.

Victory was sweet for Leicester’s Italian manager Claudio Ranieri who was sacked by Chelsea in 2004, a year after Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich took ownership of the London club.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, speaking after the game said: “They deserved to win because they were better than us during a longer period of time.

“We were the best team for 20-25 minutes, maybe a maximum of 30 minutes. They were the best team for an hour.”

The result left the reigning Premier League champions, just one point above the relegation zone, heaping more pressure on manager Jose Mourinho.

The Blues have lost nine of their opening 16 top-flight games for the first time since 1978-79, a season in which they were relegated.

In a season of unprecedented indignities, the latest may be the greatest for Mourinho. Not because Chelsea lost to Leicester, but because he was supposed to be Ranieri’s superior. It was why Chelsea undermined and replaced the Italian with the Portuguese in 2004, while Mourinho has spent the last 11 years looking down on his likable predecessor. It will surely be quite some time before he mocks Ranieri again.

This is a season that resolutely refuses to get any better for Mourinho’s side. Every time Chelsea thinks it has turned a corner, it reverses back around it. The club’s campaign has been littered with false dawns.