Super Eagles midfielder Wilfred Ndidi was fortunate not be sent off on Saturday as Leicester City hosted Chelsea in an English Premier League clash.
Leicester City lost 2-1 at the King Power Stadium, but it could have been much worse as Ndidi’s dangerous tackle on Cole Palmer was not published with a red card, although replays showed he could have broken the England star’s ankle.
The Nigeria international was shown a yellow card in the 22nd minute but he would consider himself lucky to still be on the pitch.
Nicolas Jackson and Enzo Fernandez scored the goals to secure victory for a dominant Chelsea side, with Ghana striker Jordan Ayew pulling one back for the Foxes in stoppage time.
Jackson, 23, scored his fifth goal in four consecutive away games as he outbattled defender Wout Faes to win a long punt up field, which he finished well after Fernandez played him into position in the 15th minute.
Fernandez then headed in from close range on the rebound, after goalkeeper Mads Hermansen saved Jackson’s initial effort, to seal the win.
Ayew dispatched a late penalty for Leicester in the 95th minute after Romeo Lavia fouled Bobby de Cordova-Reid in the box.
It was a torrid return to Premier League football for Leicester, who lost star midfielder Harry Winks through an ankle injury in the 11th minute.
They didn’t muster a shot on goal until the 39th minute, when Kasey McAteer almost found the bottom corner on the break, then Ndidi missed a great chance just before half-time.
But the Blues were dominant on a cold, wet afternoon at the King Power stadium, with over 66% possession throughout the 90 minutes.
Noni Madueke had a goal ruled out for offside and Chelsea squandered chances through Moises Caicedo and Joao Felix, who earned his first Premier League start since his last spell with the club in May 2023.
Palmer also saw a close range shot cleared off the line by his own man Madueke in unfortunate circumstances shortly after half-time.
Chelsea move up to third in the English Premier League table on 22 points before the rest of the weekend’s games, with Leicester remaining 16th on 10 points.
