Marc Cucurella celebrates his goal Marc Cucurella celebrates his goal

Marc Cucurella's long-range strike was the difference as Chelsea beat Leicester City 1-0 to move back into the top four of the Premier League at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. (More Football News)365pp

The Foxes did have their hosts sweating after Mads Hermansen saved Cole Palmer's first-half penalty, with the home faithful becoming agitated before Cucurella struck.

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Enzo Maresca's side looked set to take the lead after 20 minutes when Jadon Sancho was fouled by Victor Kristiansen but Palmer's spot-kick was superbly stopped.

It was the first time Palmer had ever missed from 12 yards in the Premier League and extended his goal drought to nine matches.

Leicester came closest when Tosin Adarabioyo headed onto his own crossbar in the first half after Robert Sanchez had misjudged a cross, but only mustered three shots worth 0.1 expected goals (xG) otherwise.

Victory over the side he left last year means Maresca takes Chelsea back up to fourth ahead of a trip to Arsenal next weekend.

The four-time major champion smashed 30 winners to Bronzetti's seven in the one-hour, 23-minute contest, teeing up a second-round clash with Yulia Putintseva.

The Croatian has struggled with a recurring knee injury over the last two years, limiting him to just two appearances in 2023 and four earlier this year.

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Leicester, meanwhile, stay 19th,66br six points off safety, and host Manchester United next time out.

𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞𝐚 𝟏-𝟎 𝐋𝐞𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫Marc Cucurella's winner is enough to send Chelsea into the top four.The game also saw Cole Palmer lose his 100% penalty record in the Premier League, but the Blues still claimed the three points at Stamford Bridge.#CHELEI pic.twitter.com/Lu5EjhPNpH

— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) March 9, 2025

Data debrief: Cole on a goal drought

Nobody could accuse Palmer of going missing after an afternoon when he had five shots and seven touches inside the box in 72 minutes of action - but it is clear this is his first true dip of form in a Chelsea shirt.

The Blues' talisman saw a penalty saved - though in truth it was an exceptional save from a well-hit effort - and was luckless in front of goal throughout, seeing one effort blocked by his own team-mate in the first half.

The 22-year-old has now had 29 shots since he last found the net against Bournemouth in January365pp, going 683 minutes without a Premier League goal since. The failed spot-kick was his first miss on his 13th attempt, ending the best 100% success record in Premier League history.