Chelsea beaten as Ranieri’s Leicester regain top spot

Leicester 2 Chelsea 1

Chelsea slumped to another dismal defeat – their ninth in the Premier League this season.

Goals from Jamie Vardy and the outstanding Riyad Mahrez were enough to secure a deserved victory for Leicester, who returned to the top of the table despite a second-half fightback from the Blues.

After John Terry was hauled off, the visitors went for broke and Loic Remy nodded in a 77th-minute cross from fellow substitute Pedro, but they were unable to find an equaliser.

The result leaves them two places and one point above the relegation zone and is bound to increase speculation over Jose Mourinho’s position.

Leicester, on the other hand, are flying under Claudio Ranieri – the man who made way for Mourinho when the Portuguese first took over as Chelsea manager, in 2004.

Pedro came on for Eden Hazard after the Blues playmaker suffered what looked like a hip injury following a 28th-minute challenge from Vardy, who scored four minutes later.

Mahrez, who had two early efforts gathered by keeper Thibaut Courtois, delivered a superb cross from the right and striker Vardy drifted between Terry and Kurt Zouma to volley in his 15th goal of the season.

And Mahrez doubled Leicester’s lead three minutes into the second half when he went past Cesar Azpilicueta with embarrassing ease and curled home from the right-hand side of the penalty area.

Mourinho responded by taking off Terry, who was replaced by Cesc Fabregas, and his team responded with a spell of pressure during which Diego Costa and Branislav Ivanovic should have reduced the deficit.

Costa shot straight at keeper Kasper Schmeichel after being put through and Ivanovic inexplicably failed to add the finishing touch from a yard out following Willian’s corner.

Remy eventually found the net – his first league goal of the campaign – but Leicester held on.