Rudiger brace helps lightweight Chelsea cling to top-four spot
This will have done little to ease Frank Lampard’s frustration over Chelsea’s transfer inactivity, but his team are hanging in there.
Lampard has only four victories from his past 13 Premier League games yet Chelsea remain fourth, with his great unpredictables still on course for the Champions League due to the inadequacies of their rivals below them.
He had warned that Chelsea were “underdogs” in the chase for the top four after the club failed to make a single first-team signing in January and this performance suggested Lampard’s second half to the season will at least be absorbing to watch.
Kepa Arrizabalaga, the goalkeeper, was dropped to the bench as Lampard displayed his ruthless side and it was the unlikely figure of Antonio Rudiger, making his 100th appearance for the club, who secured Chelsea a valuable point with a second-half equaliser.
Brendan Rodgers could have been peering at Chelsea in his rear-view mirrors with a victory but has now gone 14 games against his former club without a win.
Chelsea are eight points behind Leicester but Lampard is refusing to focus on the lack of new recruits. “It’s gone now and we have to move on. It’s not frustrating any more because the window is shut,” he said.
“My focus and the club’s focus now is that we all want to try and manage to get in the top four. Not many people gave us the top-four slot and I understand why, and it’s probably the same now. We’ve come to Leicester who everyone’s raving about, quite rightly, and we’ve got a point.”
Lampard defended his decision to drop Kepa, the £72million record signing, with Willy Caballero making his first league start since May 12. Caballero was at fault for Leicester’s second goal and it seems inevitable that a new No1 goalkeeper will be Lampard’s priority in the summer.
“You make decisions every day in this job and no decision is easy. When it comes to goalkeepers, you probably do give it a little more thought and time, especially with someone who is designated No1,” Lampard said.
“That can’t be the end of the story, we have to be competitive. Willy trains well, he acts well and he played well against Hull City in the Cup last weekend, so I decided to stick with him.”
Lampard must have expected more from the club in the January window and it seems strange that Chelsea worked so hard to have their transfer ban lifted by Fifa and then failed to sign any players. He had been targeting forwards and clearly has few options, with Tammy Abraham playing here despite a recent ankle problem and Michy Batshuayi barely featuring.
Their lack of attacking strength was evident in the first half as Chelsea dominated long periods but wasted a string of chances, either through poor finishing or making the wrong final pass.
But they took only 40 seconds after the restart to go ahead, with a simple goal which frustrated Rodgers. Mason Mount swung in a corner and Rudiger was afforded too much time at the far post to plant a header over the line.
Their lead lasted only eight minutes, Harvey Barnes beating Caballero from inside the area with the assistance of a big deflection. Barnes now has four goals in six games and the clamour for a call-up to the England senior squad will only grow.
Ben Chilwell was also excellent for the home team and put them ahead in the 64th minute, sweeping the ball home after Youri Tielemans’s cross eluded the Chelsea defence.
Yet with Leicester threatening to dominate, Chelsea produced a goal out of nowhere. It was from the head of Rudiger again as the defender rose to power the ball over Kasper Schmeichel from another Mount cross.
The game was now end to end. Jonny Evans missed with a header and Barnes should have won it for Leicester, sliding Jamie Vardy’s exquisite cross wide with only Caballero to beat.
For the second game in succession, Leicester were also aggrieved by a refereeing decision as Rudiger appeared to handle in the penalty area in added time. Leicester were denied a penalty in their Carabao Cup semi-final second leg at Aston Villa on Tuesday, and this was another tough one to take as referee Lee Mason – the VAR official for the Villa game – frustrated them again.
Rodgers insisted his side should have won regardless of the penalty controversy. “If Chelsea are underdogs, we must be super underdogs. Chelsea are Europa League champions and for us to be here it shows how the players have been incredible,” the Leicester manager said.
“We didn’t lose any ground but there is still a huge fight for us to stay where we are. We showed great personality in the game and by the end we’re disappointed not to have won it.
“It’s not all about talent, it’s about desire and mentality and the players showed that.”