Clinical Gary Lineker saw Chelsea’s remarkable comeback under Graham Potter as they easily defeated Leicester on Saturday.
Ben Chilwell scored the first goal against his old team to establish the tone for a 3-1 victory and reduce the strain on Potter.
Patson Daka’s equaliser and Mateo Kovacic’s volley put the visitors in front again, but Kai Havertz’s excellent finish brought them back in front.
According to Live Score, Chelsea striker Joao Felix hit the post, had a goal disallowed by VAR, then squandered a clear-cut opportunity for the home team before Wout Faes was dismissed late in the game.
By eliminating Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday, reaching the quarterfinals of the Champions League should mark the beginning of the turnaround under Potter.
Just twice this season have Chelsea scored three goals in a Premier League match, and there was a fluidity and clinical edge that had been missing all year.
Leicester’s loss pushed them closer to the relegation zone after they had seemed like they would escape before the World Cup break.
The Foxes are only one point above the relegation zone after victories for Bournemouth and Everton.
With a win over Aston Villa on Sunday, West Ham would move up to 17th place in the league standings, where they would remain after visits to Brentford and Crystal Palace.
After a dispute about impartiality, the BBC asked Match of the Day host Lineker to withdraw from delivering the highlights programme on Saturday. As a result, Lineker travelled to support his hometown team.
Even the Foxes’ star player, James Maddison, was unable to motivate them. If Lineker had imagined a laid-back day cheering on his team, he was misled as the hosts went behind after only 11 minutes.
Kalidou Koulibaly only partially cleared Chilwell’s corner before recycling it. Chilwell was waiting there after moving towards the far side of the box when Koulibaly sent in a high cross beyond the far post.
The dangling ball sank, and there was enough to do, but Danny Ward was beaten by the defender’s controlled volley at his near post.
The Foxes came close to responding right away, but Daniel Amartey misdirected Maddison’s ferocious free-kick.
Chelsea, though, was battling and should have increased their advantage after 24 minutes, driven by the aggressive Kovacic.
After spotting Felix’s breakaway, Havertz delivered the ball perfectly, setting up the striker for a chip over Ward, but it deflected off the post.
90 seconds later, Dewsbury-20-yard Hall’s attempt for Leicester was the one to strike the crossbar after striking Koulibaly.
The opportunities kept coming, and Chelsea thought they had a second when Felix finished off a wonderful move involving Mykhailo Mudryk and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, but VAR intervened and disallowed it.
Felix gave Leicester a goal in the 39th minute by being careless and wandering offside when he ought to have been more focused.
Ricardo Pereira robbed the attacker when he hesitated on the outside of his own box, and Daka picked up the pieces to drive 20 yards into the bottom corner.
Leicester was buoyant after surviving two let-offs, and Maddison put Kepa Arrizabalaga to the test before the goalkeeper turned away Kelechi Iheanacho’s attempt.
Nevertheless, just as the Foxes believed they had established an advantage, they fell behind with a few seconds left in the half.
From 12 yards out, Havertz hoisted a stunning first-time lob over the stranded Ward after receiving a beautiful pass from Enzo Fernandez.
Since Pereira had put Havertz on, Chelsea had scored twice in the league for the first time since December, despite the fact that Havertz’s restrained celebrations showed he felt he was offside.
After the break, they immediately attempted a third, but Ward tipped Wesley Fofana’s header over the goal.
Conor Gallagher, who replaced Felix at halftime, needed to be alert to stop Harry Souttar’s goal-bound attempt soon after the hour. Despite Chelsea’s comfort and, for the most part, their ability to keep Leicester at bay, Gallagher’s substitution was crucial.
There was a feeling that Chelsea needed a third goal, and before Dewsbury-Hall blew a fantastic opportunity, Havertz was stopped by Ward.
According to Live Score, Kepa was only able to deliver a cross to Harvey Barnes, whose header landed for Dewsbury-Hall six yards out with the goal at his disposal. Nevertheless, the midfielder mishit his shot horribly, and it harmlessly fell into Kepa’s arms.
After making a break through, Mudryk had a goal disallowed for offside, but the visitors eventually scored a third goal with 13 minutes remaining.
To cross for Mudryk, Havertz outran Faes, and his header was met by Kovacic’s smashing volley to seal the victory.
Faes’ situation subsequently worsened when, with four minutes remaining, he received a second yellow card for a careless challenge on Carney Chukwuemeka.
