Chelsea were unable to leapfrog Manchester United in the Premier League table as the champions were held to a 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge against Leicester City.
The visitors enjoyed the best chances in the first half, with Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez being too much for the Blues' defence for most of the opening 45 minutes, but the Foxes were unable to find a way through.
Chelsea woke up in the second half, and had a great chance to capitalise on a Leicester mistake as defender Ben Chilwell was sent off for a second bookable offence 67 minutes in, but even with the extra man the Blues could not find a goal.
Foxes start strong
Japanese striker Shinji Okazaki almost gifted Leicester the perfect start eight minutes in when the attacker was teed up by Chilwell down the left win from close range, but despite being six-yards from goal, the former Mainz player sliced his shot high over the bar.
Leicester continued to put pressure on a sleeping Chelsea defence as the first half progressed, with Vardy finding it easy to burst through the Blues backline and into a dangerous area.
Thibaut Courtois was called into action on the 11th minute mark when the Belgian number one pulled off an incredible diving save from a set-piece to deny Aleksandar Dragovic from giving the Foxes the lead early on in the game.
A case of the Blues
There was a major injury concern for Chelsea as 33 minutes in club captain Gary Cahill pulled up with a hamstring injury after chasing down Vardy. After a short time with the medical staff, the England international was taken off and replaced by Andreas Christensen.
Despite being on the back foot for most of the game, Chelsea were still able to create chances and cause problems for Kasper Schmeichel. Cesc Fabregas has the best chance of the half for the hosts as the former Barcelona midfielder found space outside the area to test the Danish keeper from distance, but the Spaniards shot was well tipped over by the Leicester shot stopper.
Hosts crank up the pressure
Chelsea’s misfortunes continued in the second half as they continued to remain on the back foot against their opponents. Mahrez continued to torment the Blues defence, and Antonio Conte’s side continued to be shaky at the back.
The introduction of Willian and Pedro early in the second half allowed more pace and strength to be injected into the Chelsea attack, and allowing N’Golo Kante to sit further back and screen the defence.
Chelsea received a massive boost of confidence 68 minutes in, when Leicester left back Chilwell was sent off for a second yellow card after lunging in on Victor Moses. With one less defender on the pitch to worry about, the hosts were able to attack more directly and test the Foxes goal more directly.
Yet despite the extra man, Chelsea still found it hard to find a way through on goal, and the match ended in a disappointing 0-0 draw.