Former Leicester star Gary Lineker was left furious after the Foxes controversially saw an opening goal against Chelsea snatched away from them as their winless start to the season continued with a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge.
The visitors thought they had claimed the lead against the Blues in West London as Harvey Barnes tapped home from a corner with Blues goalkeeper Edouard Mendy flapping to claim the ball. However, both the referee Paul Tierney and VAR decided to rule out the strike - electing that the Leicester forward had fouled Mendy in the build-up to the goal, resulting in the scores being level at the break.
Lineker was left stewing at the decision and took to Twitter with his thoughts, posting: “For crying out loud, @LCFC have had a goal disallowed for absolutely nothing. Are you asleep at the desk VAR? Unbelievable.”
The incident was one of several during a highly contentious affair in the capital. The hosts initially thought they were in line for a spot kick earlier in the half for Youri Tielemans’ foul on Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
However, VAR ruled out the penalty due to Kai Havertz being marginally offside earlier during the play. Chelsea then went down to ten men as Conor Gallagher was awarded a red card due to two bookable offences.
That did not seem to affect Thomas Tuchel ’s men all that much as they claimed the lead just a minute into the second period when Raheem Sterling netted his first goal for Chelsea since his summer switch from Manchester City. The England international opened the scoring when his deflected effort from the edge of area found its way into the net.
Will Wesley Fofana be a good signing for Chelsea? Share your thoughts in the comments below
He could have doubled his afternoon’s work only minutes later as he latched onto the end of fellow summer arrival Marc Cucurella’s cross, but fired his low effort against the base of the post. Sterling did eventually get his second just after the hour mark as he tapped home from close range.
Barnes finally got his goal shortly after following a clever one-two with Jamie Vardy but it proved to be immaterial as the Blues held out to earn three points.
The match was of course being played amid the backdrop of Wesley Fofana’s imminent switch from Leicester to Chelsea. The Frenchman is set to be announced as a Chelsea player after the Foxes finally agreed a deal that could potentially see him become the most expensive defender in the world.
He is due to pen a six-year deal in West London just months after committing to a new contract in the East Midlands. Understandably, he was left out of the starting line-up for the showdown at Stamford Bridge with an announcement over the move expected to be forthcoming.
Captain Jonny Evans and Daniel Amartey started in the place of the young Frenchman, who had made two appearances for the Foxes this term, the latest of which came in the 4-2 defeat against Arsenal at the Emirates. It remains to be seen if he officially becomes a Chelsea player in time to make his debut for the club next weekend against Southampton.
