(Football news) Chelsea have all but secured the third place in the Premier League after a 1-1 draw against Leicester City. The Foxes took the lead in the 6th minute through James Maddison’s curling finish but it was a rather mediocre performance from the visitors, who only had two shots on target in the whole match. Chelsea’s Marcos Alonso, who was partly responsible for Leicester’s opening goal, managed to score the equaliser in the 34th minute through Reece James’ cross.

However, it was a frustrating game for the Blues who struggled to score the winning goal past Kasper Schmeichel and have now won only eight out of 18 games this season. Christian Pulisic missed a golden opportunity by failing to find the back of the net in an open goal and while Chelsea are three points ahead of 4th place Tottenham with a huge goal difference, it has been a disappointing season for Chelsea by their standards.

Speaking after the match, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel said “We were the better team and deserved to win. We needed a point and we got a point. We didn't allow anything. We got punished by a shot from outside the box. We created enough to win and didn't allow transitions or chances for Leicester. I'm absolutely fine with the performance. It's a bit like a broken record. We did not take what we deserve. 

“It's the story of the season. We need an assist from a wing-back and a goal from a wing-back. You can see the numbers of our offensive players and you can see the numbers of the teams who are in front of us. But still, today is the day where we secured top three. We had some obstacles to overcome and some circumstances around the club that weren't easy, so full credit to the team. It was a huge step in consistency for us. Maybe it doesn't feel like that because the gap is so big to the top two teams. Ok, we have stuff to improve but we accept that." 

Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers said “We got off to a great start. Wonderful goal. Terrific play and James' finish was superb. You know when you play against Chelsea you're going to have to defend well and be super concentrated. The players were that. We're disappointed with the goal – he obviously gets in at the back post. Apart from that, concentration levels were good. We didn't have too many scares. We defended corners well. It was the very least the players deserved. 

“It's a top level squad, they're last year's European champions. They have players in tight spaces who are very very accomplished. If you give them too much space they will hurt you. We've seen that already this season. For this game, it's a deeper space you have to play in. There weren't too many opportunities and if you can do that coming to Stamford Bridge, it shows how good your organisation was. 

Also read: Burnley move out of the relegation zone after draw against Aston Villa