By Kazeem Ugbodaga
Chelsea secured a vital 1-0 victory over Leicester City on Saturday, with Marc Cucurella emerging as the unlikely hero in a tense encounter at Stamford Bridge.
His stunning long-range strike in the 60th minute proved to be the difference, propelling the Blues back into the Premier League’s top four.
The match began with Chelsea asserting early dominance. Cole Palmer nearly broke the deadlock in the 8th minute, only for his goal-bound effort to be deflected away by a Leicester defender.
Chelsea’s persistence paid off in the 19th minute when Victor Kristiansen’s reckless challenge handed them a golden opportunity from the penalty spot. However, Palmer failed to convert, leaving the home crowd in disbelief.
Leicester grew into the game, testing Chelsea’s resilience. Jamie Vardy came close in the 52nd minute, forcing a superb save from Robert Sanchez, while Ricardo Pereira’s dazzling solo effort in the 86th minute nearly silenced Stamford Bridge.
But it was Cucurella who stole the spotlight. In the 60th minute, the left-back latched onto a pass from Enzo Fernandez and unleashed an unstoppable strike into the bottom right corner, sending the Chelsea faithful into wild celebrations.
Despite late pressure from Leicester, Chelsea held firm to claim all three points, reinforcing their top-four ambitions in a fiercely contested Premier League campaign.
