Vardy strikes as Leicester bamboozle Chelsea
Maurizio
Sarri slammed Chelsea's "strange reaction" as Jamie Vardy fired
Leicester to a shock 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Sarri's
side paid the price for failing to convert their chances when Vardy netted
early in the second half to hand the Blues their first defeat in five games.
Chelsea's
disjointed display surrendered an 18-match unbeaten run at the Bridge dating
back to Tottenham's victory in April.
Furious
Sarri said his players were to blame for their lethargic response after Vardy's
goal.
"After
the goal we had a strange reaction; not in the right direction, not as a team,
but as 11 different players," Sarri said.
"It
was very strange. We could have done better. We reacted as a team in shock and
mental confusion.
"We
had only to continue to play as in the first half of the match. There was time
to score.
"With
a reaction like this I could change 11 players."
Sarri's
team have lost three of their last six Premier League games and the Chelsea
boss is at a loss to explain their malaise against lesser opponents.
"I
don't know why this keeps happening. If I knew I would solve the problem before
this match," he said.
"It's
difficult to understand because we have players with a lot of experience."
Sarri
has insisted he does not expect Chelsea to challenge for the title this season,
the Italian rating Liverpool and Manchester City as "two steps ahead"
of the Blues.
This was
further evidence to support Sarri's concerns, with Chelsea left trailing 11
points behind leaders Liverpool.
Chelsea
remain in fourth place in the Premier League, but they are now above
fifth-placed Arsenal only on goal difference, leaving them facing a tense bid
to qualify for the Champions League in the second half of the season.
"We
said from the beginning, it is impossible for us to fight for the Premier
League," Sarri added.
"For
us it's important we are careful to stay close to the top four."
Leicester's
first win at Chelsea since September 2000 was well-timed for Foxes boss Claude
Puel, who has endured recent reports he could be sacked just 14 months after he
arrived from Southampton.
Criticised
for fielding a weakened team in the midweek League Cup defeat against
Manchester City, Puel said: "This is a fantastic result. I have nothing to
justify. I managed my team and tried to protect some players."
Responding
to the critics, he added: "We had a lot of problems at times this season,
but it's important to analyse the games and not just to look at the results or
the ranking in the table."
Despite
their territorial dominance, Chelsea's passing and movement wasn't precise or
fast enough to prise Leicester open.
- Thunderous -
Significantly,
Hazard was again deployed up front as Sarri continued with the experiment of
using the Belgian playmaker as a 'false nine'.
Hazard
has been less than effusive in his thoughts about the role so far, dropping
hints that he would prefer to return to his usual wide position.
Even so,
Hazard should have bagged his 100th Chelsea goal after pouncing on a slip from
Leicester's Harry Maguire for a fierce close-range shot that cannoned off the
bar.
It was a
crucial moment.
Not for
the first time this season, Chelsea's miscues in attack proved fatal.
Showing the
cutting edge that Sarri's team lacked, Leicester punished a moment's loss of
concentration to snatch the lead in the 51st minute.
James
Maddison slipped a perfect pass to Vardy, who escaped Cesar Azpilicueta before
burying a cool finish past Kepa Arrizabalaga for his sixth goal of the season.
It was
the first time Chelsea had conceded a goal at home in six matches and
inevitably they turned to Hazard for inspiration.
Beating
Leicester's offside trap, Hazard cut in from the left for a stinging strike
that Kasper Schmeichel blocked at his near post.
But Leicester were defending superbly and Chelsea's luck was out in stoppage-time when Marcos Alonso's shot hit a post and rolled along the goal-line to safety.
AFP
