Leicester 0 Chelsea 3: Marcos Alonso bags brace before Pedro seals win as Diego Costa left out of the squad

IN a week where Diego Costa has dominated the headlines, the unlikely brace of Marcos Alonso and a simple Pedro header ensured Chelsea bounced back in perfect fashion following their defeat to Spurs.

Alonso gave the table-toppers the lead after six minutes when he latched onto Eden Hazard’s unselfish lay-off to bury the ball into the corner following Cesar Azpilicueta’s cross.

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The Spaniard then scored his second of the match and his third in Chelsea colours when his drilled shot from 25-yards took a deflection off Wes Morgan leaving keeper Kasper Schmeichel scrambling on his goal line.

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Despite giving the visitors a scare in the opening couple of minutes through Ahmed Musa, Leicester struggled to penetrate a defence that has conceded just 15 goals all season.

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In truth after the second goal went in, Chelsea turned on the style with Hazard causing havoc in the Leicester defence but it was Alonso who came within inches of grabbing a stunning hat-trick.

A lofty cross fell nicely for the ex-Bolton man who hit it first time on the volley before whistling past the post.

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It was only a matter of time before Conte’s sensational side were going to grab a third and it came in the form of the rejuvenated Pedro.

A slick move and deft piece of skill from the winger found Willian who pulled it back to his team-mate and he headed it into the empty net with Schmeichel grounded.

It was a performance of champions by the visitors but for the current champions, much work lies ahead.

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FACTS, STATS, GOALS & LOLS

• Claudio Ranieri was voted the world’s best coach by Fifa on Monday and drilled his players all week on how to match up Chelsea’s 3-5-2 formation.
• Yet within six minutes Marcos Alonso had fired Chelsea in front with the Foxes still finding their feet!
• There was a nice touch after 10 minutes when the King Power lit up in support of former Foxes striker Alan Birchenall, watching the game on his hospital TV after suffering a heart attack on Thursday

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• Fans from both clubs turned their mobile phones into torches to turn the stadium into a glittering bowl, while Leicester fans held up a banner for their club ambassador: “Keep Fighting Birch – Foxes Never Quit.”
• No other team in the Premier League has more players at the African Cup of Nations than Leicester, who will be missing Riyad Mahrez, Islam Slimani and Daniel Amartey for at least a fortnight. Ouch!
• How the home team could have done with Slimani on the end of Marc Albrighton’s fantastic deliveries, especially one peach after 16 minutes which Ben Chilwell nodded wide.

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• How long Diego Costa will be missing is anyone’s guess. Claudio Ranieri predicted there would be a reaction from Chelsea after Spurs ended their 13-match winning streak ….. an OVER-REACTION would be nearer the truth!
• Did Chelsea miss him? Not here but they may do elsewhere. Conte’s diminutive strike force of Willian, Hazard and Pedro sliced through Leicester with scalpel-like precision. Costa gives you the option of using a KUCKLEDUSTER!
• Leicester were 17 points clear of Chelsea at this stage last season. At kick off Ranieri’s men trailed the league leaders by 28 points – a staggering 45 point turnaround!
• Talking of N’Golo Kante! ….. the tiny midfielder will always be a Leicester legend for the huge part he played in the Foxes’ 5,000-1 title success and rightly received a warm reception on his return!

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DREAM TEAM RATINGS

Leicester: Schmeichel 4, Huth 6 (Okazaki 60, 6) Morgan 6, Fuchs 5, Chilwell 6, Mendy 6, Ndidi 6, Drinkwater 6, Chilwell, Albrighton 6 (Simpson 77, 6) Musa 6 (Gray 71, 6) Vardy 5

Subs not used: Zieler, Wasilewski, King, Kapustka

Booked: Fuchs

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Chelsea: Courtois 7, Azpilicueta 6, Luiz 7, Cahill 7, Alonso 9, Matic 7, Kante 6, Moses 7, Willian 7 (Batshuayi 84, 5), Hazard 7 (Fabregas 79, 6) Pedro 7 (Loftus-Cheek 84, 6)

Subs not used: Begovic, Chalobah, Ivanovic, Zouma

Goals: Alonso (6, 51) Pedro (71)

STAR MAN: MARCOS ALONSO

WHAT THEY SAID

Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri: "Today we made a good performance but we lost, and that is football. The changes I made were effective, if you take out the first two goals we played at same level as them.

"We didn’t lose focus, we had to stay very attentive in the box because they move so well. With Pedro, Hazard and Willian we did well but we should have closed the other players down better."

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Chelsea boss Antonio Conte: "It was a good performance because it isn’t easy to come here and play the champions and to win in this way.

"I’m very pleased with all of my players. We showed a great spirit we all tried to help each other with and without the ball.

"Marcos is playing very well but not just today. Today he had a great performance and helped the team a lot but I am pleased for all my players.

"I like to tell the truth and not lie. Diego stopped training on Tuesday because he felt a pain in his back and he didn’t train. That’s the truth."