Enzo’s moment of magic
It was six minutes before half time that Chelsea surrounded the lead given to them by Ben Chilwell’s stunning early volley.
Joao Felix – who was the victim of an awful challenge by Ricardo Pereira in the opening moments of the game – was caught in possession on the edge of the Blues' penalty area and Patson Daka fired beyond Kepa Arrizabalga from 20 yards.
It was a goal that rocked Chelsea and Kepa had to produce three saves to deny James Maddison, Kelechi Iheanacho and Pereira. The home supporters sensed momentum had been wrestled in their side’s favour. But then Enzo Fernandez produced a moment of pure invention.
READ MORE: Every word Graham Potter said on Leicester vs Chelsea, BBC, Joao Felix, Mykhailo Mudryk
The Chelsea midfielder picked the ball up 30 yards from goal and surveyed the scene above him. There was no space to thread a pass through but Fernandez spotted the subtle movement from Havertz and scooped an inch-perfect pass to the German. It was ingenuity rarely seen since Cesc Fabregas' departure in 2019.
Havertz finished cooly – and did not celebrate as he expected the flag to be raised. Yet it stayed down and Chelsea went into the half-time interval ahead. It was the critical moment in the game.
"He's a fantastic player,” Graham Potter explained in his pre-match press conference. “But he’s still a young player. I think he's going to get better and better when he's with us more. He's just arrived to a new country and a new league so you always have to adapt to that. You can see his quality, when he gets the ball he passes forward. He sees everything.”
Happy returns
It was clear prior to kick-off that neither Wesley Fofana or Ben Chilwell would receive warm welcomes on their return to the King Power Stadium. The names of both players were booed when the line-ups were read out and their every touch received the same treatment.
Not that it impacted the performance of either player. Fofana was again a composed presence on the right of the Chelsea back three and Leicester’s supporters were so demoralised by the 86th minute of the game that they didn’t even give the defender grief when he was replaced late on.
Chilwell’s impact was more decisive. It was in the eleventh minute that Kalidou Koulibaly flighted a hopeful cross to the back post and the England international made perfect contact with the ball to beat Danny Ward at his near post.
The wing-back celebrated by putting his fingers to his ears; a clear message to those who once cheered for him at the King Power. “It was probably one of the most enjoyable goals of my career,” Chilwell told Chelsea’s in-house media after the game.
“There’s no bad blood at all, I really enjoy coming back here and seeing all of the old faces that I used to see all the time day to day. But when it’s that 90 minutes on the pitch, of course I’m going to give everything to win the game for Chelsea, and thankfully today I contributed with a goal.”
Chilwell was delayed in making his way over to the Chelsea supporters after the full-time whistle; there were former teammates and staff to speak with first. Yet he then jogged jubilantly across the pitch and celebrated passionately with those in the away end. It was a result that meant a lot to the 26-year-old.
Mudryk’s step forward
Ahead of the trip to the King Power Stadium, Graham Potter explained why Mykhailo Mudryk hadn’t made it off the bench in the victories over Leeds United and Borussia Dortmund. The Chelsea head coach said: “It's not a straight road, it's not just a play and everything happens in a linear way.
“Sometimes you have to take a step away. Sometimes you just need a bit of training time. Sometimes you need a breather. So there are a lot of factors. Hopefully, he can benefit from the time he's had.
“It’s not easy for him to just arrive in the middle of what was pre-season for him and to come into a new country, new club, new league, and just hit his absolute maximum level. It is regardless of the fee; I know people will look at the fee but it doesn’t change the situation he is in.
”We're positive about him. We're positive about the future for him. But we need just to help them settle and help him understand what he needs to do to help us."
Yet with Raheem Sterling and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang both ruled out due to injury against Leicester, Potter opted to deploy the Ukraine international as the arrowhead of an attacking three. It was an experiment that had mixed results.
There were flashes of Mudryk’s undoubted quality in possession in the opening 45 minutes; notably his turn and drive forward in the build-up to the Joao Felix goal that was ultimately ruled out for offside.
He didn’t have any joy against the Leicester centre-backs when the ball was played in the air, no surprise given his size. But Mudryk highlighted how devastating he can be with space to break into in the second period with a rapid run and calm finish. Unfortunately, the flag was raised for offside.
Mudryk didn’t see out the game but the 82 minutes he completed were an important step – and he will only improve in time.
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