Chapter 1: What were the highlights of Chelsea's 1-1 draw with Leicester?
Problems for Ndidi, and Mounts scores! What a way to mark his home debut! It's Ndidi! And what a way to redeem yourself!
From the pain to the pleasure for Wilfred Ndidi's earned his side a point here at Stamford Bridge. James Madison with his man of the match, and both are with Jeff Treves. Wilfred, James, we saw the pictures of you out on the pitch just then. Looking as though you were rueful about how that second half got away. Do you feel you were that close to all three points? Definitely, yeah.
I mean, you see the lads on their knees there because ultimately we're coming away disappointed. Bad chances, myself included. If you come to Stamford Bridge and you play like that in the second half, you have to score the chances you create. I'm sure we'll watch that game back and be disappointed we don't come away with three.
Wilfred, what changed? Why do you think you were more dominant in the second half?
I think we actually put the first half aside and then we were asked to actually push up and forget about the one goal they scored and then we just have to react.
I think it's fair to say it was a mixed day for you. Tell us about the first goal, one of those horrible moments that happen in football.
It's something I try not to think about, but it still comes up in my head.
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Chapter 2: How did Ndidi's performance impact the match?
But it's football, I just try to move on.
Did you just not know he was there? No, I didn't know. Having said that, you made it up with a fantastic header. That must make you feel better.
It's a mixed feeling, you know. We tried a couple of times in training with Maddis and he told me I was going to score. So he just came and then...
You mentioned it, James. By your standards, how good was the chance you had?
Yeah, massive. I mean, I'm a reflection of last season, talking about last season, myself and my team and stuff and personally. I scored seven goals and that's something I want to improve on. If I'm going to get better and go to that next level, which I know I can, I've got to be putting chances away and I want to be improving on the goal tally. Chances like that don't come around very often.
We worked it well and I've got to put it away. I'm still learning. I'm sure I'll keep practising and improving on that part of my game, yeah.
Although you only take a point out of the game, Wilfred, what else can you take away from this?
Take the positives and we had a couple of chances. We have to learn. Every game we try to look forward and try to improve and everything. So I think we did very well in the second half and then we take it to the next game.
The reaction of this man was brilliant. When you make a mistake like that in the second minute or whatever it was, to show the character that you showed, to come back and control the game in which you did in that pivot role and to, like you said, make amends with a bullet header, I think he has a lot of praise.
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Chapter 3: What tactical changes did Leicester make in the second half?
Does it also say much about his character and the ambition of Leicester City? The fact, having scored that fantastic equaliser, he's stood here now still pretty miserable about the first goal.
Exactly. He's not lifting his head up because he's probably thinking about that mistake. But, listen, that's why we're Leicester City. We get round each other and we said at half-time, forget about that. He was excellent after that. He probably doesn't get the praise that he deserves, Wilfred, because he does the part of the game that no-one else wants to do.
And I thought he was fantastic after that, so he fully deserves all the credit he's going to get.
Wilfred, you can lift your head high with that second-half performance and that magnificent goal. One last job for you.
The man of the match, it was a close-run thing between the two of you, eventually went this way to James. You do the honors and pass it over to him, please.
Thank you, Wilfred. Leicester City players really disappointed that they didn't take all three points here at Stamford Bridge today. Let's just show you the match facts and give you the breakdown of how much it turned around for Leicester City in that second half. 12 attempts they had overall. 11 of those came after half-time. 14 overall for Chelsea.
They did edge it 5-3 on target and they shared the ball equally as well. How do you view that, Ashley? Well, I think second half, you know, Leicester was a different animal. I think Maddison started to get on the ball further up the pitch and start affecting the game.
Ndidi was again controlling the game from behind and they just seemed to step up a few gears and Chelsea kind of didn't know how to react to that. Should they be happy with the point then?
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Chapter 4: How did Chelsea's midfield perform against Leicester's tactics?
Chelsea? Yeah. should be happy yes but you're playing at home so you should be winning these games again against a tough Leicester team but I think at home yeah you've got to be coming away with three points We like to dress it up sometimes, football, and talk about tactics and everything like that. But sometimes it's just about winning individual battles, starting to get after people.
In the first 25, 30 minutes, Leicester never made a challenge, never made a tackle. There was no intensity about their game. Last 10 minutes of the first half, and then second half, they started to win battles all over the pitch. And that was the difference. You can see Chelsea started to get fatigued. Maybe the game midweek might have taken a little bit out of their legs as well.
But Maddison, as Ashley said, come to life second half. And he started to run the game. And they were just a better team second half. What about the character they showed? Typified, I suppose, Graham, by Ndidi.
Yeah, they're fabulous. The game could have been over in 10 minutes. Chelsea could have been 3-0 up in 10 minutes. They have three big chances, Graham, in the first seven minutes, Chelsea, today. Yeah, they're fabulous. This is a goal coming up. Indeed, he thinks he's got more time than he actually has.
But when you're there, his first touch here should be out of his feet to play it two, you know, and play it in two touch to the fullback. But the first touch is not good enough. It gets semi-stuck under his feet. If you watch, it's a good enough ball here from the centre half. Watch this touch coming up here. Get it out of your feet here and then ping it off to the left back.
You've got to assume...
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Chapter 5: What does Frank Lampard say about Chelsea's performance?
You've got to think worst case scenario all the time.
But do you think that's a dangerous tactic early on here at Stamford Bridge?
Everybody does it now. You know, I hate saying this, but, you know... When we played, the first 20 minutes of the game, we wanted to make the pitch as big as possible. The pitches weren't like this. We would go long. We'd get Ian Rush in a race. We'd try and make the pitch big, and after 20 minutes, when it settled down, we'd start playing our football.
For me, the way that game panned out today, I touched on it before the game. It's a young Leicester midfield. And they started off the game, and they won't get caught being naive at times, it's actually only boys. They thought they were going to get involved in a game of football first and foremost. The first part of the game isn't like that.
Chelsea were steamrolling them in midfield in the first part. When you've got Pulisic and Pedro putting you on your backside, there's something not right, I'm sorry. They were knocking people over because they were aggressive. The first thing you do, the only way you can play football is be first to the ball, get the ball, and you see where your game takes you from there.
And they were passive in that first 20 minutes, half an hour, Leicester. Second half, a completely different ball game. They were first to things, they were on the front foot, and they finished very, very strongly.
But before we move on, quickly, actually, does that goal from Chelsea typify the type of football that Frank Lampard wants to see here, playing on the front foot? I think so, yeah. I think, you know, you see Mason kind of make that action in terms of pressing a lot this season. The same with Pedro and whether it's Willian or now Pulisic, who see Mason as a trigger.
As soon as their midfielder receives the ball, they're already looking to press. And Mason's got their legs to do it. And today he played well in that kind of role of reading the game and understanding when to go. There were question marks last week about Mason. I listen to people saying, oh, well, is he ready for it?
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Chapter 6: How did Sheffield United secure their win against Crystal Palace?
He's ready. He showed that today. And what he gives Chelsea, which they haven't really got in their team, is a goal threat. And that's why he picked him today. He made such a difference. And the finish, I know indeed he makes a mistake, the second touch and then the third touch. But once he pounces on him, he manages to compose himself and it's a brilliant finish. We'll come back to Mount.
I want to talk about James Madison as well. But what about the equaliser? Sort it out for us, James. It looks for all the world like a free header. Yeah, it is. But I love what Ndidi does. He just attacks the ball. He wants to win it. He's got that. He's delicted it in the summer for Holland against England. He's made a mistake and he wants to make up for it.
He's early, he's angry and he wants that ground more than anybody else on the pitch.
That's Pellequeta, who's been a fabulous defender for Chelsea. Watch here. In no time is he aware he's coming into this territory. He looks here, half looks. He's now totally focused on the ball. And... Indeed, he gets there early. Azpilicueta doesn't know he's there. He jumps early, and that is too easy. That's in the middle of your goal on the six-yard line.
Chapter 7: What are the implications of Chelsea's current squad depth?
It's too easy. If Azpilicueta dared to look over his right shoulder and see where the threat's coming from, he takes one step to his right, and indeed, he can't jump the same. He's up early because he knows the threat's coming. And this is coming from a really, really good defender. Last week he gave two goals away, Espilicueta, and he's given that goal away today, in my opinion.
I don't care who you are, you're never going to beat a guy that has a running jump. If you're a standing jump, I don't know if we can see it again, actually. I get zonal marking, but I think Jorginho has almost got to maybe try and block him. But look, he just has a little bit of a run indeed. Two, three yards, and then he's up. And he's up early. Look, there you go, and he gets up earlier.
and he's more powerful, and it's very difficult to stop. But from Azpilicueta's point of view, he needs to be on the move as well and attack the ball. Yeah, I think the body shape from him from, you know, before the ball's even kicked in, he's already looking at the ball. He's always focused on that. That's always focused.
So like you said, standing jump is never going to beat someone on the run. Plus your body shape is looking at the ball. You don't know what's behind you. If he would have opened up a little bit more and see obviously the man and the ball, maybe he could have got Jorginho to say, give him a little block because Jorginho kind of half leads him, doesn't he?
There's a train coming for you, you can't stop that.
Vital times, Jorginho should have just stood across him instead he's rooted on the penalties. What about the way that Leicester kicked on after that? Did they look the most likely winner? They smelled blood, yeah. I'll come back to it. Yeah, they were fabulous in the second half.
You know, the manager must have thought he was managing two different teams from the first half where they were passive, second and everything.
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Chapter 8: What future challenges do Chelsea and Leicester face this season?
I think for James here, I think the ball, look, it's off the ground. It just sits up. Normally he's finishing that. He's a lovely striker of the ball. I think he's a confident, composed character. Normally he would score that. They were winning all... See, this is a difference. This is the things that people don't notice. all those savoury bits where they're scrapping to get possession.
In the first half, that first 20 minutes of the first half, Chelsea won every one of them. They were always on the front foot. The game revolves around people doing the dirty stuff, the stuff that people don't associate with good footballers. You know, the close down, the dangle of the leg, you know, the occasional put people on their backsides, the stuff that...
If you're a certain type of player, you enjoy doing it. But I think Leicester in the first part started like a five-a-side team. They were pushed. They were pushed. Never won a challenge. Never got on the front foot. And in the second half, they were just the exact opposite. And I come back to Chelsea. We spoke about Chelsea.
If you're not punishing teams, if you're not scoring goals when you're dominant... And the game turns, you become a nervy lot. And that's how Chelsea ended up playing the game out. They were hanging on for the largest part in that second half. You know what it feels a bit like as well, Graham?
And I know you've managed. I could only imagine Brendan Rodgers going in at half-time and being so disappointed with his players. Because I was expecting, before the game, we spoke about the midfield and the quality they've got. They didn't show that. And it was almost a case of second half they just started to win challenges and they started to get after people.
And of course goals changed games and the momentum then shifted and you could see how much they became in the ascendancy. But Maddison was the player that pretty much changed it for them as well. Well let's have a look at this, the man of the match. This is his statistical breakdown, three key passes in the match. five dribbles and six touches in the opposition box.
One of those almost resulted in that goal and 12 passes into the opposition box, which is more than any player that we saw here today. How would you sum up that second half performance, Jamie? It had everything. He started to get after the ball, he started to get into little pockets to pick up nice positions. His final ball was brilliant.
This is obviously the bit of skill that he does and he's going past people and he just started to get his tail up and he enjoyed the game. You know, he's 22 years of age. This kid has to play for England now. He's ready. We haven't got many players like him. He spoke as well after the game there. He was very self-critical.
It was all about his mate, wasn't it? No, it was all about his mate. You know, he realised his mate was feeling a wee bit down. At delivery as well, Graham. He spoke like a captain. But he said himself he would expect himself to score if he's going to go on to the next level.
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