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Leicester 2-0 Chelsea: Player Ratings as Foxes go top of Premier League

Leicester went top of the Premier League courtesy of a 2-0 win over Chelsea on Tuesday night, with the result heaping further misery on under-fire Blues boss Frank Lampard

The hosts got off to a flying start inside six minutes when Wilfred Ndidi lashed home a left-footed drive from well outside the box, following a clever corner routine.

Just before the break, the Foxes doubled their lead with James Maddison finishing calmly, after Marc Albrighton’s long ball had set him free behind the porous Chelsea backline.

In the second half, only Leicester looked like scoring with Youri Tielemans, Jamie Vardy and James Justin all spurning decent opportunities.

Here are your Foxes and Chelsea player ratings from the King Power Stadium…

Christian Pulisic, Wesley FofanaChristian Pulisic, Wesley Fofana
Fofana played well once again | Michael Regan/Getty Images

Kasper Schmeichel (GK) – 7/10 – Very impressive stuff. In the few moments that Leicester were looking shaky, his leadership was vital.

Timothy Castagne (RB) – 7/10 – A real threat going forward. One mazy dribble led to Maddison hitting the bar. Passing was also superb.

Wesley Fofana (CB) – 8/10 – Another fine display. His positioning was spot on all evening, which is remarkable for a 20-year-old.

Jonny Evans (CB) – 8/10 – Fortunate not to concede a penalty but did not let that affect his stoic performance thereafter.

James Justin (LB) – 8/10 – Solid defensively with Pulisic barely getting a sniff all game. Also contributed in the final third.

Wilfred NdidiWilfred Ndidi
Ndidi opened the scoring with a fine goal | Michael Regan/Getty Images

Marc Albrighton (RM) – 8/10 – His delivery was sensational all evening. Provided the assist for Maddison’s goal and registered three key passes in all.

Wilfred Ndidi (CM) – 8/10 – Quite simply one of the best defensive midfielders on the planet. Took his goal well and broke things up excellently.

Youri Tielemans (CM) – 8/10 – An all-action midfield display. Tackles, blocks, splitting passes, his performance had everything.

Harvey Barnes (LM) – 7/10 – Some really impressive moments. Looked devastating in transition.

James Maddison (AM) – 8/10 – Finished calmly for his third goal in as many games. His recent appetite for getting in behind adds so much to his game.

FBL-ENG-PR-LEICESTER-CHELSEAFBL-ENG-PR-LEICESTER-CHELSEA
Vardy battled hard for his team | RUI VIEIRA/Getty Images

Jamie Vardy (ST) – 7/10 – One of the rare, famous Leicester wins in which he did not feature on the scoresheet. He started the press though, which was important.

Brendan Rogers, Ricardo PereiraBrendan Rogers, Ricardo Pereira
Ricardo and Perez came on for the hosts | Michael Regan/Getty Images

Ricardo Pereira – 6/10 – Great to see him back, albeit in a cameo role.

Ayoze Perez – 5/10 – Did nothing wrong after coming on.

Kelechi Iheanacho – N/A

Reece JamesReece James
James made a few defensive errors | Pool/Getty Images

Edouard Mendy (GK) – 6/10 – Little he could do about either goal. Did well to keep the scoreline down.

Reece James (RB) – 5/10 – Pretty comical defending for Maddison’s goal. Also allowed Justin a free header. Did well going forward though, provided Chelsea’s best threat.

Thiago Silva (CB) – 5/10 – Leicester’s movement caused him real problems. Looks a long way off the player who impressed at the start of the season.

Antonio Rudiger (CB) – 4/10 – Some wayward long passing, particularly early on. Defending for the second was horrific.

Ben Chilwell (LB) – 5/10 – Looked a little nervous early on, making a few errors. Grew into the game as things progressed but still never looked entirely comfortable. Crossing was poor.

Mason MountMason Mount
Mount tried to make things happen for the Blues | Pool/Getty Images

Kai Havertz (CM) – 5/10 – What has happened to this once effortless player? Struggled again this evening, making few contributions of note.

Mateo Kovacic (CM) – 5/10 – A couple of probing passes but he was often a little too conservative in his approach.

Mason Mount (CM) – 7/10 – Tried his utmost to inspire his team and got about, making five tackles overall.

Callum Hudson-OdoiCallum Hudson-Odoi
Hudson-Odoi was not that impressive on what was a rare start | Michael Regan/Getty Images

Callum Hudson-Odoi (RW) – 4/10 – Below average display. Barely involved and created very little.

Tammy Abraham (ST) – 5/10 – Looked well off the standard required. Struggled to make the ball stick throughout. Came close with a header after the break.

Christian Pulisic (LW) – 5/10 – Cannot be blamed for the first goal as his teammates left him isolated. Looked dangerous on the ball at times, but needs to start offering more.

FBL-ENG-PR-LEICESTER-CHELSEAFBL-ENG-PR-LEICESTER-CHELSEA
Werner’s strike was ruled out | MICHAEL REGAN/Getty Images

Hakim Ziyech – 5/10 – Made several poor decisions after coming on.

Timo Werner – 6/10 – Will his luck ever change? Had a goal ruled out for offside following a VAR check.

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Twitter reacts as Leicester go top of Premier League & heap pressure on Frank Lampard

Leicester City are top of the league and Chelsea manager Frank Lampard could be out of a job soon.

Those were the headlines from the Foxes’ 2-0 win at the King Power Stadium on Tuesday night, in what could prove to be one of the momentous results in the Premier League’s recent history.

Things got off to an incredible start when Wilfred Ndidi scored inside six minutes. His goal was… pretty weird, to be honest.

The result of a botched, but clever, corner routine, Ndidi swung a left peg at the ball, after Harvey Barnes’ scuffed effort, and it flew past Edouard Mendy, clipping the post as it went in.

For those Foxes fans who have watched the Nigerian fire off long shots to little success over the years, the goal was a very welcome surprise.

James Maddison then rattled the crossbar, while Marc Albrighton stung Mendy’s palms with a fierce long shot soon after.

However, the next real talking point came when Chelsea were awarded a penalty.

Except, no, they weren’t. VAR made sure of that, much to the annoyance of Blues’ fans everywhere. Jonny Evans was initially judged to have brought Christian Pulisic down in the box, but upon review the challenge actually took place just outside.

A few minutes later, that particular decision would sting even more, with Leicester doubling their lead through Maddison.

It did not take long for the cries of ‘LAMPARD OUT’ to start after that…

After the break, Leicester’s dominance continued. By the hour mark, James Justin had nodded a free header wide at the back post, Marc Albrighton had had one ruled out for offside and Youri Tielemans was denied by Mendy’s legs.

Despite being in the ascendency, Foxes fans were not comfortable with their two-goal cushion and were pushing their side to see the game off.

In truth, they never looked like surrendering their lead.

Around the 65-minute mark both Callum Hudson-Odoi and Kai Havertz were withdrawn having contributed very little.

Reviews of their performances were not good…

Did Chelsea’s substitutes help change the game? We think you already know the answer to that.

In the end, the game rather petered out, a bit like Lampard’s managerial career perhaps?

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Who will be the next Premier League manager to be sacked?

Like a primary school sports day, the sack race is well and truly on.

We’re at the point in the Premier League season when teams start to work out what the rest of the campaign has in store for them, and when those forecasts are bad, it usually ends up in a head or two rolling.

Here are the six most likely managers to be given the boot next.

Sean DycheSean Dyche
Burnley are struggling this year | Julian Finney/Getty Images

Key stat: Burnley are the Premier League’s lowest scorers (9)

Having just welcomed new owners at Turf Moor, it might be time for a change.

Burnley find themselves flirting with a relegation battle this season, and it’s hard to see the new chiefs accepting a drop to the second tier in their first year with the club.

Sean Dyche definitely needs to prove he should be kept on for the future, but fortunately, it’s not hard to see him doing that.

While Burnley are horribly inconsistent, they are capable of getting results when they are at their best. A good string of results would work wonders for Dyche, but things could just as easily go the other way.

Nuno Espirito SantoNuno Espirito Santo
Wolves have failed to live up to their high standards | Pool/Getty Images

Key stat: Wolves have not won in their last six Premier League outings

Wolves have been on a real rollercoaster in the last few years, and Nuno Espirito Santo has been there every step of the way.

They finished seventh in both 2018/19 and 2019/20, but this year, they’re down in 14th. No longer the plucky underdogs, Wolves have found themselves struggling to assert themselves, and results have not been easy to come by.

With the amount of money invested in the playing squad, Wolves clearly believe they should be towards the top of the table, so a run of one win in nine games probably won’t sit well in the Molineux board room.

He’s not hitting the high standards set of him this year, and he’ll start to feel worried if that trend continues.

Chris WilderChris Wilder
Sheffield United are on track for a whole lot of unwanted records | Pool/Getty Images

Key stat: Sheffield United are currently on course for the worst points total in Premier League history (<11)

A tricky one here. Ordinarily, if you’re the manager of a team bottom of the Premier League by January, you’re definitely going to be sacked – especially if you’re only on five points.

That’s the situation Chris Wilder finds himself in with Sheffield United, just one year after leading the Blades to within five points of a Europa League spot.

If he was anybody else, he’d be gone by now, but Sheffield United’s loyalty to Wilder, who helped guide the club from the bottom of League One all the way to the top flight.

Wilder is in a perilous position, but his bond with the club might just save him.

Sam AllardyceSam Allardyce
Allardyce hasn’t turned things around yet | Sam Bagnall – AMA/Getty Images

Key stat: Allardyce has won just one of his first four games as West Brom manager

Sam Allardyce has only just come in to try and stop West Brom from getting relegated, but it’s not really working just yet.

To Allardyce’s credit, he has led the Baggies to good results against Liverpool and Wolves, but he’s balanced that out by some humiliating losses against Leeds and Aston Villa.

If you can’t win against the so-called smaller teams, those big points mean nothing. West Brom won’t escape the relegation zone with that kind of inconsistency.

Club officials don’t want to get relegated, while Allardyce will want to avoid tarnishing his perfect record of never being relegated. If things don’t get better, expect a mutual termination here.

Frank LampardFrank Lampard
Expectations are high for Lampard | Pool/Getty Images

Key stat: Chelsea are as close to 14th as they are to 1st

Frank Lampard spent over £200m during the summer, and while he warned Chelsea weren’t going to win the title, he promised that fans would see some improvement.

Where is it?

Chelsea have still struggled to match up with their rivals – they haven’t beaten any of the traditional ‘big six’ – but results against smaller teams haven’t always been there either. There have been good moments, but they’ve been balanced out by some awful ones.

You get the feeling that Lampard would be long gone by now if he was anybody else, but even loyalty to the club’s greatest-ever midfielder can only go so far.

Steve BruceSteve Bruce
Newcastle are stuck in a rut | James Williamson – AMA/Getty Images

Key stat: Newcastle have lost seven of their last 11 Premier League games

Newcastle fans have always been split on Steve Bruce, but it seems like things have taken a real nosedive recently.

Without a win in nine games, Newcastle have dropped to 15th in the table, but it’s the performances during those games which have been more concerning than the results.

Newcastle have been abysmal and uninspired far too often, prompting Bruce to describe the team (via The Times) as ‘frigging hopeless’. He said he wanted to do things his way, and immediately followed that up with a tame 3-0 loss to Arsenal.

Everything’s going downhill at an alarming rate, and Bruce needs to find a solution quickly, or else he’ll find himself out of a job.

For more from ​Tom Gott, follow him on ​Twitter!

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Fernando Torres reveals incredible post-retirement gains

When they retire, a lot of footballers, quite rightly, let themselves off the leash a bit.

After years of training every day, as well as having every aspect of their diet painstakingly scrutinised by nutritionists, and their body micromanaged by sports scientists, it is only natural that they want to have a little bit of fun.

Wesley Sneijder embodied this attitude. Mere months after he announced he was hanging up his boots, the Dutch legend was pictured sporting a glorious beer belly.

However, not all elite footballers have this approach. One player who seems eager to buck the trend is former Liverpool striker Fernando Torres. Now, Torres is supposed to have been on the sunbed since playing his last game for J-League side Sagan Tosu back in 2019.

Instead, judging by a recent photo posted by beIN Sports Spain, among others, the World Cup winner left Japan, headed straight to the gym and has not stopped bench pressing since. Never known for his bulging muscles during his playing days, Torres is looking in phenomenal shape.

Perhaps, Leon Goretzka, a man who enjoyed a similarly remarkable glow up during the spring lockdown, has been giving El Niño a few tips? Whatever you are doing Fernando, keep it up mate.

In case you were wondering what else Torres has been getting up to during retirement, aside from getting ludicrously buff of course, he is currently helping out Atlei’s B team in a coaching capacity.

Who knows, perhaps in the future he will become the first football manager to also place in the World’s Strongest Man tournament?

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Jamal Musiala & Bayern Munich in contract stalemate amid significant Premier League interest

Talented youngster Jamal Musiala and his club Bayern Munich remain deadlocked in talks over a new deal, opening the door for a potential Premier League move next summer.

Musiala is enjoying a breakout campaign, smashing the Bayern records for youngest Bundesliga player and goalscorer already this season. Overall, the 17-year-old has made 18 appearances in all competitions this term, netting on three occasions.

Jamal MusialaJamal Musiala
Musiala become Bayern’s youngest scorer when he netted in their 8-0, opening day demolition of Schalke | Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images

He is currently on a youth contract at the Allianz Arena, which expires in summer 2022, and talks over extending his stay with Die Roten have not yet been successful. According to Goal, Musiala wants £100,000-per-week, a figure that, perhaps understandably, Bayern have not yet matched during negotiations.

With the situation rumbling on, Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City are all said to be monitoring things closely. Born in Stuttgart, Musiala spent the majority of his childhood in England and was on the books at Chelsea before being snapped up by the Bundesliga champions in 2019, despite the Blues offering their most lucrative scholarship deal ever in a bid to get him to stay.

Eligible to represent both England and Germany, Musiala has already been capped by the Three Lions at multiple youth levels, most recently making his debut for the Under-21s. A senior call up should not be far off either as he has seriously caught the eye for Bayern this season.

Making his first-team debut last campaign, he has pushed on this term, earning two starts and also being handed a string of substitute appearances by Hansi Flick. Musiala even featured three times in the Champions League, starting in central midfield during his side’s 1-1 draw to La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid in December.

The youngster has already shown versatility, featuring as a winger, number ten and striker, as well as in midfield.

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