SARRI IS FOXED AS VARDY LIFTS PUEL
JAMIE VARDY sparked Leicester’s Christmas party as Chelsea lost at home for the first time under Maurizio Sarri and Claude Puel earned some much-needed goodwill.
Not for the first time this season, Foxes boss Puel came into a game with huge doubts over his future.
But he can rest easy for a few days at least after his side beat Chelsea for the first time in eight clashes.
Chelsea completely bossed their visitors for 45 minutes and Puel spent most of the first half turning the air blue in frustration at his players.
And it was Vardy who copped the biggest rebuke with the Frenchman furious over one poor touch.
It was a different matter altogether five minutes into the second half, though, with Puel celebrating Leicester’s goal. He said: “In the first half we were a bit disappointed, because we could have used the ball with more quality and composure and we wasted some good opportunities.
“But we came back in the second half with better quality on the ball.
“It was a fantastic move for the goal and I was happy for Jamie to finish and be clinical.”
Asked if the goal justified his decision to leave Vardy out of the Carabao Cup defeat by Manchester City in midweek, Puel replied: “I have nothing to justify.
“I am the manager of my team and try always to do my best to get the right balance to protect some players, get the best out of other players, and put a team on the pitch with the ability to win the game.”
His side did have a couple of lucky escapes with Eden Hazard rattling Kasper Schmeichel’s crossbar before the break and Marcos Alonso hitting a post late on.
But they defended resolutely and Chelsea could have few complaints about their defeat.
It was their third loss of the season with all three coming within the last month and Sarri knows there’s an issue. And so angry was he late on that he ripped off his coat and tossed it away from him.
“I was hot,” he said when asked about it. Under the collar? “No,” he added.
“We played very well for 55 minutes. We played very good football.
“After the goal the reaction was strange. Not in the right direction. Not as a team. But as 11 different players.
“We could have done better. We had only to continue to play as in the first part of the match. There was time to score but the reaction was as a team shocked, a team in mental confusion.”
Leicester’s Ben Chilwell said: “We’ve played well against big teams but not got over the line or even got a point.
“It was a brilliant ball by James Maddison to slip through Jamie Vardy awnd oneon-one we can rely on him to score.”
Chelsea 0 Leicester 1 Tom Hopkinson