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| Cesc Fabregas' goals were his first of the season |
Cesc Fabregas scored twice in extra time as Chelsea came from two goals down to beat 10-man Leicester and reach the EFL Cup fourth round.
Shinji Okazaki's header and instinctive strike put Leicester in control, but Gary Cahill nodded in before the break.
Cesar Azpilicueta equalised with a long-range strike before Foxes defender Marcin Wasilewski was sent off.
Fabregas' clipped finish put Chelsea ahead early in the first extra period and his powerful strike sealed the win.
It had been a pulsating cup tie - particularly in the second half - with chances at both ends but Wasilewski's dismissal for elbowing Diego Costa ultimately proved costly.
Chelsea deserved the win in the end but Claudio Ranieri will perhaps be buoyed by his side's performance for much of the game, with glimpses of their incisive attacking and compact defending that helped them win the title last season on show. ...
EPL Table ...
Match Highlights (English)
Slick in attack, sloppy in defence
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| The return of David Luiz has, so far, been unable to solve Chelsea's defensive troubles |
Chelsea have scored in every game this season and their attacking strength came to the fore towards the end of this game.
However, their defensive frailties should continue to be a cause for concern for boss Antonio Conte.
Only once in their previous 14 games in all competitions have the Blues managed to keep a clean sheet - and they were needlessly exposed in the first half of this game.
Azpilicueta's awkward touch when trying to deal with Ahmed Musa's cross allowed Ozaki to nip in and flick a header over Asmir Begovic, and the Foxes forward then profited from a static backline to score a second.
"Chelsea's decision-making when under pressure was poor," BBC Radio 5 live summariser and former Leicester defender Gerry Taggart said.
"We are talking about basics. Clear the ball first, then ask questions. Some of Chelsea's decision making was abysmal."
Back from the fringes?
Fabregas has been unable to establish himself under Conte, with the Spanish midfielder restricted to appearances from the bench in the Premier League so far this season.
His only two starts for the Italian have come in the EFL Cup - but he was arguably the stand out player for the Blues in this game.
The 29-year-old has been criticised for a lack of goals in the past - he scored six last season and five the campaign before - but took both his finishes well against the Foxes and also provided the assist for Cahill's goal.
His was a performance to give Conte food for thought.
Chelsea 4-2 Leicester City Highlights
[ English League Cup 2016 Round 4 ]
17′ 1 – 0 Shinji Okazaki scored inside first 17 minue to put Leicester in lead.
34′ 2 – 0 Shinji Okazaki was at it again just after the half hour mark when his scuffed shot found a way into the back of the net.
45′ 2 – 1 Gary Cahill scored just before the break to make get Chelsea back into the match.
50′ 2 – 2 Cesar Azpilicueta turned things around with a second Chelsea gol.
92′ 2 – 3 Cesc Fabregas
94′ 2 – 4 Cesc Fabregas
What next?
Leicester return to Premier League action at the weekend with a tricky away fixture at Manchester United on Saturday. Chelsea, meanwhile, will look to bounce back from a 2-1 defeat by Liverpool last time out in the league when they travel to Arsenal, also on Saturday. We are going to have live coverage of these matches this Saturday here on DBliss Media Sport
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