(^) IN ASSOCIATION WITH
SPEED OF HEADER: 4.4 mph
HEIGHT OF HEADER: 9ft 1in
TIME FROM HEAD TO GOAL: 0.41 sec
HOW THEY STAND
P W D L F A GD Pts
Liverpool .......... 2 2 0 0 6 2 4 6
Arsenal ............. 2 2 0 0 3 1 2 6
Man City ............2 1 1 0 7 2 5 4
Brighton ........... 2 1 1 0 4 1 3 4
Tottenham .......2 1 1 0 5 3 2 4
Bournemouth .. 2 1 1 0 3 2 1 4
Sheff Utd ...........2 1 1 0 2 1 1 4
Everton ............. 2 1 1 0 1 0 1 4
Man Utd .............1 1 0 0 4 0 4 3
Burnley ............. 2 1 0 1 4 2 2 3
Norwich ............ 2 1 0 1 4 5 -1 3
Leicester .......... 2 0 2 0 1 1 0 2
Wolves ............... 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
C Palace ............2 0 1 1 0 1 -1 1
Chelsea ............. 2 0 1 1 1 5 -4 1
West Ham .........2 0 1 1 1 6 -5 1
Aston Villa ........ 2 0 0 2 2 5 -3 0
Newcastle ......... 2 0 0 2 1 4 -3 0
Southampton ... 2 0 0 2 1 5 -4 0
Watford ............ 2 0 0 2 0 4 -4 0
down the left and when his near-post
cross was backheeled beautifully by
Olivier Giroud into the path of the
galloping N’Golo Kante, only a
well-timed lunge by Soyuncu diverted
the close-range shot wide from
six yards.
It did not feel like it at the time but
that transpired to be a key moment.
That was an opportunity for Chelsea
to take proper control of the game. It
wasn’t taken and it signalled the end
of the home team as an attacking
threat.
Leicester’s dominance from that
point on was almost absolute. They
created nothing before the break but
plenty after and by the
time Ndidi atoned his
earlier error by head-
ing in a corner in the
66th minute a goal
had been coming for
some time.
Lampard tried to
freshen things with
substitutions but to no
avail. The tide had
already turned. Maddi-
son should have scored, Jamie
Vardy might have done and the
game ended with Arrizabalaga
dashing from his area to clear
yet another break through
the middle.
Scrambling Chelsea bodies,
scrambled Chelsea minds.
CHELSEA (4-1-2-3): Arrizabalaga 6;
Azpilicueta 6, Christensen 6.5, Zouma 6.5,
Emerson 6.5; Jorginho 6 (Kovacic 70min, 6);
Kante 6.5, Mount 7; Pedro 6.5, Giroud 5.5
(Abraham 61, 6), Pulisic 6 (Willian 70, 6).
Subs not used: Caballero, Alonso, Barkley,
Tomori. Scorer: Mount 7.
Booked: Jorginho.
Manager: Frank Lampard 6.
LEICESTER CITY (4-3-2-1): Schmeichel
6.5; Pereira 6, Evans 7, Soyuncu 6.5,
Fuchs 7; Choudhury 7 (Praet 73, 6),
Ndidi 6.5, Tielemans 7; Perez 6.5
(Albrighton 79), MADDISON 8;
Vardy 6.5. Subs not used: Ward,
Justin, Morgan, Iheanacho, Barnes.
Scorer: Ndidi 66.
Booked: None.
Manager: Brendan Rodgers 7.
Referee: Oliver
Langford 7.
Attendance:
40,629.
Cole lined up for job
at the Bridge after
hanging up his boots
SAMI MOKBEL
at Stamford Bridge
ASHLEY COLE is expected
to be offered a return to
Chelsea after the former
England left back
announced his
retirement yesterday.
On the day his old team-
mate Frank Lampard
made an emotional
homecoming to Stamford
Bridge as manager, Cole,
38, confirmed the decision
to hang up his boots
following a glittering
career that saw him win
13 major titles.
Chelsea are now planning
to discuss a return to the
club for a player who at
one stage was widely
rated as the best left
back in the world.
The Blues have a clear
strategy of employing
stars of the Roman
Abramovich era after
their playing days.
Champions League
winners Lampard
and Petr Cech,
who was
appointed
technical and
performance
adviser, both
returned
over the summer. The club
have also left the door open
for Didier Drogba, and
Claude Makelele and Paulo
Ferreira are part of the
coaching set-up.
Cole, who won 107 England
caps and played for Arsenal,
Crystal Palace on loan,
Chelsea, Roma, LA Galaxy
and Derby during a 21-year
career, did ambassadorial
work for the Blues during
their pre-season tour of the
Far East — a clear indication
that lines of communication
are open.
Cole, keen to embark on a
coaching career, said: ‘After
hard thinking and
consideration, it was time to
hang my boots up and look
forward to my next chapter,
hopefully coaching.
‘I am doing the course at the
moment and now I want to
be great as a coach.’
Chelsea are understood to be
helping Cole complete his
UEFA qualifications.
On the pitch, the hole left by
Cole after his switch to Roma
in 2014 has never sufficiently
been filled by Chelsea.
Marcos Alonso played a key
role in their title triumph in
2017 but he now finds himself
on the bench.
The current first-choice left
back, Emerson Palmieri,
appears to have the potential
to make the position his own.
He’s quick, looks solid in
defence and, like Cole, is
comfortable in attacking
positions. At 25, he is also
coming into his prime.
But talk of a move for
Leicester’s Ben Chilwell next
summer indicate the club are
not entirely convinced.
Chelsea maintain high
standards. Having played
with Cole for club and
country, Lampard knows that
better than anyone.
Putting on
a brave
face:
Frank
Lampard
EPA
HIgh and
mighty:
Ndidi heads
Leicester
level REX
lily
(lily)
#1