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Chelsea hold on to beat Leicester despite Madueke mishap
Goals from Nicolas Jackson and Enzo Fernandez helped Chelsea to a 2-1 Premier League win at Leicester City on Saturday that would have been much more comfortable if Blues winger Noni Madueke had not blocked team mate Cole Palmer's goalbound shot.
Chelsea dominated their hosts for most of the game but a lack of sharpness in front of goal almost cost them late on as Leicester pulled a goal back through a Jordan Ayew penalty, leading to a nervous final few minutes.
After draws against Manchester United and Arsenal before the international break, Chelsea came flying out of the traps and Jackson punished Leicester for not clearing their lines in the 15th minute.
The visitors won a long Leicester kick-out and immediately started making their way back up the pitch before Fernandez found Jackson, who took a touch before flicking the ball past Foxes keeper Mads Hermansen with the outside of his right boot.
Chelsea continued to dominate and should have gone two up in the 54th minute, but Madueke ran ahead of the play and could not get out of the way of Palmer’s close-range shot at an empty net, deflecting his effort wide.
Chelsea captain Fernandez spared his blushes with his first goal for the club in the 75th-minute, reacting quickest after Hermansen saved from Jackson to head home the rebound, but the Foxes did not give up.
Substitute Bobby De Cordova-Reid threw them a lifeline when he was tripped in the box in stoppage time and Ayew just about squeezed his spot-kick past Hermansen, leading to a late onslaught from the home team.
Their late charge, however, came too late to prevent Chelsea from sealing a win that moved the third-placed Blues up to 22 points in the table. Leicester are 16th on 10 points.
Saka on target as Arsenal return to winning ways
Arsenal returned to winning ways in the Premier League with Bukayo Saka and captain Martin Odegaard inspiring a comfortable 3-0 home victory against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Mikel Arteta's side desperately needed three points to revive their title hopes after four league games without a win and the result never looked in doubt after Saka's early opener.
England forward Saka combined with the influential Odegaard to finish in style after 15 minutes and the hosts should have been further ahead before halftime with Forest keeper Matz Sels making several fine saves to keep his side in it.
Forest began the game level on points with Arsenal but their hopes vanished when halftime substitute Thomas Partey doubled Arsenal's lead with a curled finish in the 52nd minute and teenaged substitute Ethan Nwaneri added a late third.
Victory kept Arsenal in fourth place with 22 points from 12 games, six points behind leaders Liverpool who face bottom club Southampton on Sunday. Forest slipped to sixth.
Arteta was celebrating his 250th game in charge and the sight of Odegaard and Saka back up to speed was the perfect tonic after a disappointing run of form.
Odegaard returned from a lengthy lay-off with an ankle injury in the draw at Chelsea before the international break and looked sharp as he pulled the strings for Arsenal.
Saka also looked revived after missing the latest England camp because of injury, combining to great effect with Odegaard before both were substituted late on with Arteta switching his attention to Tuesday's Champions League clash away to Sporting.
Forest have been the surprise package this season and occasionally looked a threat on the counter-attack but it was largely one-way traffic in the north London rain.
Arsenal had an early goal by Jurrien Timber ruled out for offside after a tediously-long VAR check but they were soon in front when Odegaard threaded a pass to Saka who skipped past three Forest players before firing a superb shot past Sels.
Sels saved well to deny Leandro Trossard and Saka as Arsenal failed to add to their advantage before the break.
Midfielder Partey, on for Jorginho, was given too much space to bend a superb effort past Sels and 17-year-old Nwaneri put the icing on the cake with his first Premier League goal, a clinical low finish inside the post in the 86th minute.
