Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has claimed that tiredness was a reason why his side were unable to breakdown a 10-men Leicester squad at home.
Eden Hazard and Cesc Fabregas were both substituted early in the second half, resulting in boos from the home crowd as Chelsea made it three games in row finishing 0-0.
“I saw a lot of tired players today”
Speaking to the press, Conte said: “We played with almost the same players as we did against Arsenal on Wednesday night, and my plan was to play a rotated side in the FA Cup this week. But it means that we have had many players play two games in four days.
“I saw a lot of tired players today, and that was a factor today in how the game played how. Leicester had a lot of chances in the first half, and we did not respond until the second half when we brought on fresh faces, which led to good chances.”
Speaking about squad rotation, Conte said: “I am doing more rotation. Against Norwich, I made nine changes to the starting 11. And against Arsenal I made 10 changes from the side that played against Norwich. It’s normal for managers to do this.”
A point earned for Leicester
Leicester dominated the first half, with Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez on scintillating form this afternoon at Stamford Bridge. The injury of Gary Cahill in the first half made it easy for the Foxes attack to break down a weakened Chelsea defence.
Despite a plethora of chances from both teams, neither side was able to break the deadlock in one of the more entertaining 0-0 games of the season. The sending off of Ben Chilwell just past the hour mark should had made things easier for Chelsea, but Claude Puel’s tactic of getting everyone behind the ball worked well for the visitors, who earned the hard point at the full-time whistle.