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Chelsea 2-0 Leicester City: Diego Costa scores on home debut before Eden Hazard seals the points as Jose Mourinho's men eventually down brave Foxes at Stamford Bridge
- Diego Costa opens the scoring in the 62nd minute as he taps in a shot from just four yards out to break the deadlock
- Eden Hazard doubles Chelsea's advantage after 77 minutes as the Blues make it two wins in two league games
- Leicester City forward David Nugent was expertly denied a goal before Chelsea's opener by Thibaut Courtois
- Goalscorer Costa replaced by Didier Drogba in the 80th minute as both men were applauded by Chelsea fans
- Jose Mourinho's side move on to six points after two matches while Nigel Pearson's men have a solitary point
At times last week it seemed some were ready to award Chelsea the Premier League title on the back on a 3-1 win at Burnley.
And though in the end they did re-discover some of that momentum on Saturday, the over-riding lesson of their victory over Leicester was the stark reminder that Chelsea’s season will be a degree tougher in the long run and that they still struggle against well-organised teams.
True, they won comfortably enough in the end with goals from Diego Costa and Eden Hazard. And they could even afford a carnival moment towards the end, with Didier Drogba coming on, a hero returning to his natural home, on 79 minutes.
Joy: Diego Costa runs off in celebration after breaking the deadlock for Chelsea against Leicester City on his home Premier League debut in a 2-0 win
At the double: Chelsea winger Eden Hazard made the game comfortable with a strike from the edge of the area in the 77th-minute to break Leicester City hearts
Finish: Diego Costa slots the ball past Kasper Schmeichel in the Leicester City goal to put Chelsea 1-0 up after 62 minutes at Stamford Bridge
That's what money buys you: Chelsea's £32million summer signing Diego Costa opened the scoring at Stamford Bridge after 62 minutes on Saturday
Save! Chelsea's number one Thibaut Courtois made a terrific save from David Nugent when Chelsea were just 1-0 up to ensure that the home side bagged the points
Triumph: Eden Hazard (centre) celebrates with fellow goalscorer Diego Costa (left) after netting Chelsea's second goal to seal the game against Leicester City
Yet though all ended happily, Chelsea laboured incredibly to get ahead in the first place. They were truly abject in the first half, languid and one paced, lacking both tempo and creativity, just as they had been for many games last season.
Mourinho disappeared down the tunnel a good three minutes before half time to prepare his team talk. Judging by his team’s response in the second half, their manager had let them know quite how bad it was, though somewhat bizarrely the coach seemed to think the weather - cool and breezy for the time of year - was partly to blame.
‘We have lots of work to do,’ said Mourinho afterwards. ‘Our first half showed clearly that we have to improve. This week I trained at 3 o’clock because I was expecting this, as it’s not the best weather to play football, because you get a bit lazy. But I was unsuccessful in that because the team was lazy in the first half, which I didn’t like. But in the second half everything improved and they showed that they wanted it.
‘I think the weather makes players lazy, lose a bit of tension and sharpness in the body and after that you pass slow you move slow and you don’t react to the second balls and by the time you wake up it’s half time
‘At half time we had to be a little bit emotional with them and make them realise we were at risk,’ said Mourinho. ‘I wasn’t annoyed but I told them that if you have the same feeling I have we’re not in trouble, we will change. But if you don’t we’re in trouble. I think they understood. It’s important not to lose points against teams that normally you would beat.’
It wasn’t simply that Leicester set up well and frustrated Chelsea. Dean Hammond was the most dominant presence in the midfield in the first half while Riyad Mahrez was always lively and indeed produced the first shot on target of the game on 35 minutes, which Thibaut Courtois got down well to save.
‘I’m proud but disappointed,’ said Leicester manager Nigel Pearson afterwards. ‘I’m disappointed we weren’t able to to convert an encouraging performance into a reward with points. The good thing is we created chances throughout the game. We played well but as always it will be about how efficient we are in both penalty areas.’
Frustration: Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho stands with his arms out-stretched as he watches on during the match against Leicester City at Stamford Bridge
Quiet: Chelsea's £32million summer-signing Diego Costa (right) is challenged by Leicester City's Dean Hammond during a frustrating first half for the forward
Power game: Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic (left) tussles with Leicester City's Jeffrey Schlupp during the Premier League match at Stamford Bridge
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Where Fabregas had thrilled on Monday, in the opening 45 minutes he looked as ineffective as his midfield partner Nemanja Matic. Oscar offered little more. Costa felt the sharp end of his manager’s tongue at one stage and Hazard had reverted to type, leaving Cesar Azpilicueta to deal alone with the frequent incursions of Mahrez.
Half time did indeed prove pivotal. All of the above improved considerably and within minutes of the re-start Oscar had hit the post with a shot from outside the box and Kasper Schmeichel had pulled off an excellent save by pushing wide a Branislav Ivanovic header.
Yet Chelsea were also more open at the back and Courtois was called upon when Hammond played in David Nugent, who forced the Belgian into a fine save with his right leg on 52 minutes. And Nugent had an even better chance when put clean through by Mahrez on 55 minutes, Courtois again being forced to save with an out-stretched leg.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2732609/CHELSEA-2-0-LEICESTER-CITY-Diego-Costa-scores-home-debut-Eden-Hazard-seals-points.html#ixzz3BFAbrUPW
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