Chelsea 2 Leicester 1: Jorginho penalty proves decisive in Champions League race despite late Kelechi Iheanacho strike
MOST Hollywood sequels are pale imitations of the originals and quickly forgotten.
Jaws, Grease, Basic Instinct, The Karate Kid.
But Chelsea v Leicester II: The Hunt For Champions League Football bucked the trend, with the rematch proving even more blockbusting.
Most remakes are about revenge, too, and Chelsea stuck to the script as they banished the disappointment of losing to City in Saturday’s FA Cup final with a feisty victory.
And it is a win that means they have snatched their Champions League destiny back into their own hands in stormy circumstances.
As it did at the weekend at Wembley, VAR played a massive part in making sure there was a twist in the tale, like every good movie.
After having two goals ruled out by the remote control referees and a decent penalty shout waved away, Timo Werner and Chelsea ended up moving up into third place in the table thanks to the disputed technology which is overshadowing football every week now.
The 10,000 Chelsea supporters allowed inside Stamford Bridge had been voicing their four-letter displeasure at VAR and ref Mike Dean when things were not going their way.
They fell silent when the man miles away in Stockley Park, Andre Marriner, spotted Wesley Fofana trip Werner just inside the Leicester area with 66 minutes gone.
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From nowhere came a penalty to Chelsea and up stepped Jorginho to coolly slot the ball home, make it 2-0 and put his team in the driving seat.
The goal which should have settled Chelsea nerves came less than 20 minutes after they went ahead with another VAR incident — this time Leicester striker Jamie Vardy inadvertently heading on a corner for Antonio Rudiger to bundle home.
Victory means Chelsea will be guaranteed a place in the Champions League next season if they beat Aston Villa away on Sunday.
That is no easy task but at least they are not relying on slip-ups elsewhere or having to beat Manchester City in the Champions League final on Saturday week to ensure re-entry to the competition.
Leicester were under the cosh for most of last night and now have Liverpool breathing down their necks in the battle for fourth place.
They have the FA Cup under their belts but modern football being what it is, Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel would probably trade defeat at Wembley last weekend in favour of playing in the top tournament next season.
As usual with Chelsea it was not easy going. Werner is turning into the most bizarre goal threat as his first season in English football draws to a close.
He was caught offside yet again last night, 19 minutes in when he put the ball in the net only to have it disallowed because he cannot time a run properly.
Chuck in his handball goal and his part in the spot-kick shows you a trier who is at least involved in everything his team has a go at.
Werner was given a rousing send off by the fans when he was replaced with five minutes to go. There is a distinct feeling that given siome polish he will come good eventually.
After a humdinger of a game which took the story from the weekend on in terms of drama, there is also plenty to come from these two teams in the future.
Boss Tuchel was working in front of supporters for the first time since taking over Chelsea in January and their presence only heightened his animation and antics on the sidelines.
When Ben Chilwell shot wide after only four minutes he spun on his heels with his fists clenched, grimacing and shouting to the heavens.
Sure it was a good shot but it didn’t require that response.
A few minutes later he was at it again, delivering a full volume sermon to his subs spread across the lower tier seating behind him.
Callum Hudson-Odoi, Willy Caballero, Tammy Abraham and Olivier Giroud looked on in wonderment at their barmy boss.
City now must hope maximum points in their final game against Spurs on Sunday and hope that Liverpool do not win and score more goals than them or else it’s the Europa League.
A team like this does not deserve that. Having hung on for so long this season they deserve to be among the elite next term.
Incidentally, Kelechi Iheanacho’s goal for Leicester makes him the first player in Premier League history to have scored on all seven days of the week.
With games like this it would be great if Chelsea could play Leicester every week.
