Maresca enjoys 2-1 winning return to Leicester

Enzo Maresca, a former Leicester manager enjoyed a 2-1 winning return to his former club as Chelsea ran out comfortable victors at the King Power Stadium.

Goals from Nicolas Jackson and Enzo Fernandez sent Chelsea third in the table ahead of Saturday’s afternoon goal rush kick-offs.

Maresca led the Foxes to the Championship title in his only season in charge but left for Stamford Bridge in the summer.

He was tasked with rebuilding the Blues into a Premier League force and looks like he could be the man to finally make sense of their vast and expensively-assembled squad.

Maresca’s replacement Steve Cooper is finding his new job much tougher and, with just two wins in their opening 12 games, the pressure is building on the former Nottingham Forest manager.

Chelsea dominated from the start and were rewarded with the 15th-minute lead, though Leicester defender Wout Faes will not want to watch it back.

Read also: Chelsea survives Leicester scare in Maresca’s King Power Stadium return

The Belgian centre-back had several chances to clear a long ball but was continually outmuscled by Jackson and when the Chelsea striker got it back from Fernandez he coolly converted with the outside of his foot.

The game was being played entirely in Leicester’s half and the chances kept coming, with Moses Caicedo skewing wide when a loose ball fell kindly to him on the edge of the area and Noni Madueke forcing Mads Hermansen into a fine stretching save after dancing into the area.

The England international thought he had doubled the lead just after the half-hour when he swept home Marc Cucurella’s pull back, but the flag went up as the Spaniard was offside.

Leicester eventually turned up, albeit briefly, and fashioned two good chances to equalise before the break.

First, Oliver Skipp played in Kasey McAteer, but his shot whistled just past the post before Wilfred Ndidi prodded wide after Victor Kristiansen’s pull back fell into his path.

The second half was one-way traffic and the second goal eventually came in the 75th minute.

Jackson’s header from Cucurella’s cross was straight at Hermansen but the rebound fell perfectly for Fernandez to head home.

Leicester thought they should have had a penalty late on when Stephy Mavididi went down under a challenge from Wesley Fofana, but referee Andrew Madley waved away protests and VAR agreed with him.

Madley did point to the spot deep into injury time after VAR advised him that Romeo Lavia fouled Bobby De Cordova-Reid and Ayew slotted home.

Leicester’s penalty by Jordan Ayew in the fifth minute of injury time was their only shot on target as Chelsea ranaway with all three points.