Leicester 1 Chelsea 2 – Fernandez makes his mark and a ...

Nicolas Jackson and Enzo Fernandez found the net as Chelsea cruised to a comfortable 2-1 away win against Leicester City.

The margin of victory could have been greater, though, with Noni Madueke having a goal ruled out in the first half after provider Marc Cucurella was adjudged to be offside in the build-up. Then, after half-time, the England winger inexplicably failed to jump over the ball as Cole Palmer took aim at an empty net, with Madueke preventing his team-mate from getting on the scoresheet.

Leicester reduced the deficit via a late Jordan Ayew penalty after Romeo Lavia tripped Bobby De Cordova-Reid in the area but Chelsea’s dominance was rarely challenged.

Simon Johnson breaks down the main talking points from Enzo Maresca’s first return to King Power Stadium as Chelsea head coach since leading Leicester to promotion as EFL champions in May.

Maduke’s goal-saving block (to deny team-mate Palmer)

Palmer is increasingly used to players trying to stop him from finding the net these days, but he is not accustomed to one of his team-mates being one of those denying him.

In the 54th minute on Saturday, it looked certain that he would double the visitors’ 1-0 lead.

A great move ended with Jackson’s shot being palmed straight to Palmer at the back post by goalkeeper Mads Hermansen.

Palmer fired the ball towards the unguarded near-post area and looked ready to celebrate but a jumping Madueke was in the way and inadvertently diverted the shot out for a goal kick.

It was the kind of block one of Chelsea’s defenders would be proud of down the other end of the pitch.

The players saw the funny side. Palmer laughed and joked with Madueke, who rather sheepishly did the same.

Maresca did not seem quite as amused though. With the game still far from won at that point, he looked a combination of frustrated, incredulous and anguished on the touchline.

Fortunately for Chelsea, it did not matter in the end.

Did Fernandez prove his worth?

It has not been the easiest of seasons up until now for Fernandez but he has begun to give a little reminder to everyone why Chelsea bought him for £106million in January last year.

This was Fernandez’s first start in the Premier League since October 6, when he struggled during a 1-1 home draw against Nottingham Forest. While he has been a regular in the Chelsea ‘B team’ instead, playing in the Carabao Cup and Conference League, this is a man who expects to play top-flight football.

Lavia has been preferred in Premier League games by Maresca, but the Belgium international was named on the bench against Leicester, perhaps as a consequence of feeling a little discomfort in his hamstring while on international duty over the previous two weeks.

Fernandez provides more attacking threat than Lavia but does not offer the same level of defensive cover. For the first 30 minutes here, his ability on the ball helped Chelsea dominate possession.

It also led to them taking the lead, the 23-year-old setting up Jackson after the forward initially robbed Wout Faes of possession. That took Fernandez’s tally of assists for Chelsea and Argentina to five from his past six appearances: a good return and one that shows also some growing confidence.

But as Leicester grew into the game, there were still reminders of why playing Fernandez is a risk in terms of the defensive balance. On two occasions before half-time, he was caught upfield and could not get back, leaving midfield partner Moises Caicedo isolated. It led to the home side having two very good chances.

His afternoon still ended on a high though, scoring the crucial second with a rare header on 75 minutes.

It was his first Chelsea goal for nine months and a number of his team-mates, including some potential substitutes warming up, joined in the celebrations.

How was Maresca received on his Leicester return?

Normally, when a manager/head coach returns to a club where he has enjoyed significant success, they get a warm reception from the stands.

Maresca may have spent just one season in charge at Leicester but he masterminded their promotion from the Championship at the first attempt as they went up as champions six months ago.

You would never have known it though as he came back to King Power Stadium today for the first time since he left for Chelsea in the summer.

There was a nice greeting message from Leicester chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha in the matchday programme — and successor Steve Cooper too. There were also smiles and handshakes with club staff in the corridors before the match kicked off.

But in terms of interaction with the fans, there was nothing. No grand announcement over the public-adddress system, nor a sign of cheers, or boos, when he was in the technical area. It is almost as if they deliberately set out to try to ignore the fact that Maresca was back and now in the away dugout, although the Italian enjoyed some warm exchanges with a few of the Leicester substitutes during a first-half VAR check over Madueke’s eventually disallowed goal.

It is always a cause of frustration at a club when a key figure — whether a player or manager — chooses to go elsewhere. Maresca was not hugely popular at the back end of last season, when Leicester’s automatic promotion looked in jeopardy. However, he still achieved what he was asked to do, yet you would have thought on today’s evidence that he was a stranger.

Maresca clearly was not perturbed. Indeed, when Leicester’s Harry Winks was injured early on, he was the one who ordered the Chelsea players to kick the ball out so he could get treatment.

A telling final sign of respect from Maresca came at the final whistle. Instead of joining the Chelsea players as they walked over to acknowledge the away fans — something he does regularly after matches — he stayed on the touchline.

Clearly, he did not want to antagonise or upset anyone.

It also gave him the chance to swap final pleasantries with Leicester players and staff. It proved there are no hard feelings — well, among the professionals at his former club anyway.

What did Maresca say?

“Today I thought was the right game to use Enzo, even if he was back from international duty (late). I think he did very well.

“I’m trying to convince Enzo, in the same way as I did last year with (Wilfred) Ndidi and Kiernan (Dewsbury-Hall), that attacking midfielders need to arrive in the box. The reason why he scored today was because he was inside the box — if he was outside of the box, he wouldn’t have scored the goal.

“We are happy in the way Enzo is doing.”

What next for Chelsea?

Thursday, November 28: Heidenheim (A), Conference League, 5.45pm UK, 12.45pm ET

Sunday, December 1: Aston Villa (H), Premier League, 1.30pm UK, 8.30am ET

Recommended reading How close are Chelsea to playing Marescaball? Christopher Nkunku’s state of play at Chelsea: Is a transfer a possibility? What is the ‘Pellegrini offside trap’ and why is it undermining Chelsea’s season? Cucurella has become Chelsea’s irritant-in-chief – and may be what Maresca needs

(Top photo: Chris Lee – Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)

Simon Johnson has spent the majority of his career as a sports reporter since 2000 covering Chelsea, firstly for Hayters and then the London Evening Standard. This included going to every game home and away as the west London club secured the Champions League in 2012. He has also reported on the England national team between 2008-19 and been a regular contributor to talkSPORT radio station for over a decade. Follow Simon on Twitter @SJohnsonSport