Jamie Vardy pounces to give Leicester morale-boosting win over Chelsea

Claude Puel raised his hands in triumph at the final whistle here, his relief all too evident, while a corner of this arena erupted in gleeful disbelief. Leicester City had not won in these parts in 18 years but, having seen their woodwork rattled twice, their second half showing had made them worthy of a victory which will knock conviction from Chelsea’s campaign. The hosts’ familiar fragilities had been exposed. City, in contrast, looked more like their old selves.

It had been Jamie Vardy whose goal deflated the locals, hoisting Leicester out of a mid-season slump and back into the top half, though Maurizio Sarri’s chief concerns will be a lack of bite at the other end. This had been evidence that, for all their tricks and flicks, the fluid front three will not always yield Chelsea reward. Their diminutive forward line lacked the punch to leave their opponents winded here with the tactic eventually abandoned just after the hour-mark once the home side had slipped into arrears.

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