Chelsea edged out Leicester City 2-1 after a tightly fought contest on Saturday afternoon in the Premier League, with Raheem Sterling and Harvey Barnes on the scoresheet for their respective sides.
The Blues looked as though they may be in for a long afternoon 28 minutes into the game, as Conor Gallagher picked up his second yellow card in six minutes, resulting in his dismissal.
As the old cliché goes however, it appeared the Foxes found it harder to break down their resilient opponents once they had a man advantage, as Raheem Sterling scored a brace in the second half to put his team in front.
Brendan Rodgers’ side did put up somewhat of a fight, getting one back with a little over 20 minutes left, but it proved to be in vain as the Chelsea hung on for a hard-fought three points.
Blues show positive mentality
When Gallagher was brandished a red card with over an hour remaining in this one, many would have feared for Thomas Tuchel’s side, especially given their recent performances.
A humiliating 3-0 loss to Leeds United was preceded by what was very much two points dropped against London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, and it appeared that the mentality amongst the home players may not be at its highest.
Yet, while it might have felt slightly touch-and-go at times, with various last ditch tackles and blocks coming in from a multitude of directions, especially later on in the second half, the Blues proved they had the fortitude to dig deep in tough moments.
In particular, some exemplary strength at the back was shown after Barnes pulled one back for the visitors, as with plenty of time to go there was no shortage of opportunities for Leicester to take at least a point home.
As it was though, the half time team talk given by Tuchel - who was absent from the sidelines due to being given a touchdown ban - must have remained at the forefront of the hosts’ minds, with Thiago Silva in particular displaying his experience in key moments.
To draw grand conclusions from one game would be naïve, but there are certainly signs that Chelsea have what it takes to get results in difficult circumstances - the question is whether they can continue to do so.
Raheem Sterling off the mark
After a relatively underwhelming first half, it seemed something of a toss-up between Raheem Sterling and Mason Mount as to who to take off at the break, with the formation needing to be shuffled around due to the red card.
Whatever inkling made Tuchel go for the latter over the former was a prescient one though, as not two minutes into the second 45, Chelsea’s summer signing from Manchester City was on the scoresheet.
In all fairness, it wasn’t the most convincing of finishes, with a large deflection taking it over the flailing hands of Danny Ward, but it was one of few times when those in blue actually got shots away, so credit must still go to the winger.
If that goal left questions over Sterling’s attacking instincts though, he answered them a quarter of an hour later, as he got on the end of a pinpoint ball from Reece James, tapping home an easy chance thanks to being in the right place at the right time.
His two goals ended up being the deciding factor in the Blues picking up their first win since the opening day, being the only one out of the front three that has started every game so far to get a goal in this season.
Should Tuchel be tempted to alter his selection on Tuesday evening when his side travel to the South Coast to face Southampton, he would be a brave man to not name Sterling in the starting XI following today’s showing.
Leicester's worrying form continues
If the story for Chelsea was on their strong mentality, it was totally the opposite for Brendan Rodgers’ team - they once again appeared out of ideas for almost the entirety of the 90 minutes.
Even with their opponents having one less player than them, the Foxes still could not find a way through, speaking volumes about the concerns that many have raised about the Midlands-based side so far during this campaign.
As a stand-alone result it is not the most worrisome situation - after all, teams fail to beat 10 men all the time - but when put into the context of their start to this top flight season, there is certainly cause for concern.
Having picked up just one point from a possible opening 12, Rodgers and co sit 19th in the table, and could drop to rock bottom depending on the rest of the results during this game week.
Over recent years, Leicester had seemingly begun to establish themselves as ‘the best of the rest’ in the league table, consistently finishing in at least the top eight and fighting for European places in the process.
There is of course plenty of time still to go for things to be turned around, but it would not be total surprise to see questions begin to be asked of Brendan Rodgers - and if this form continues, those asking will only get louder.
Jamie Vardy struggles again
As far as strikers go, Jamie Vardy is no spring chicken when compared to his counterparts across the rest of the league, though that has never set him back before when he was smashing in goals left, right and centre.
This season however, things do seem to have taken a turn - perhaps an inevitable one - with the former England international now looking noticeably off the pace, and indeed off of his once electric form too.
He struggled to get involved in the game at all, and on the few occasions he did, such as being played through one-on-one in the final act of the first half, he looked a shadow of his former clinical self.
The forward is yet to net at all this season, having played every one of his team’s opening four matches, and while no Leicester fan will want to say it, there is every chance that his time at the very top may be nearing its end.
Just looking at the statistics from this afternoon do not make pretty reading: according to SofaScore, Vardy missed three big chances over the course of the 90 minutes, only touching the ball 17 times throughout the entire match.
The one positive is that he is still involved in the Foxes’ play going forwards - he has two assists thus far - but Rodgers will be hoping for more than that from the man who is the very epitome of a legend at his club.