4 talking points as Chelsea cement place in Premier League top three

After two weeks off for the final international break of the calendar year, Chelsea showed no ring rust as they cruised past Leicester City 2-1 at King Power Stadium.

Nicolas Jackson's seventh goal of the season gave the visitors a deserved lead after 15 minutes, with the Senagalese international steering a superb outside of the boot effort past Mads Hermansen in the home goal.

Noni Madueke had a free-flowing second ruled out by VAR - with Marc Cucurella offside in the build-up to the goal - but it didn't matter as Enzo Fernandez, the provider of Jackson's opener, secured the points with a close-range header 15 minutes from full-time.

In the end, Chelsea had to settle for a win by the odd goal as Jordan Ayew netted a stoppage-time penalty for Leicester after a foul by substitute Romeo Lavia on Bobby De Cordova-Reid.

Here's the four main talking points from the east Midlands.

Nicolas Jackson is the real deal

Nicolas Jackson's £32m arrival at Chelsea last summer was met with widespread derision.

Sure, 12 goals in 35 games for Villarreal wasn't an incredible record by any stretch of the imagination, but still not bad for a player who was only 21 by the time his final La Liga campaign came to an end.

Chelsea's belief in Jackson seemingly wasn't iron clad either, evidenced by their relentless pursuit of Victor Osimhen and any other established 'number nine' who needed a move.

But in Jackson, Chelsea have found an absolute gem. He lacked efficiency in his first season at Stamford Bridge, despite scoring 14 Premier League goals, but now looks to have put all of the pieces together. He's just suddenly worked it out.

Be it bursting through on the counter with pace, putting a deliciously weighted cross on the right foot of Noni Madueke, taking his first half goal with a terrific finish or just outfoxing Caleb Okoli with his movement in the area, everything Jackson did oozed class.

Those who were laughing at the 23-year-old sure aren't laughing now.

Chelsea could actually be title contenders

Whisper it quietly, Chelsea could actually be Premier League title contenders this season.

That might sound like an exaggeration to some, given they've only won half of the 12 games they've played under Enzo Maresca, but it's impossible to overlook the progress they are making. The Italian has a clear philosophy and style of play and his players have seemingly bought into the project.

Moises Caicedo looks like a different animal in midfield, Cole Palmer is outstandingly good and they are far more organised at the back. Throw into the mix Arsenal and Manchester City's indifferent form and it's not so absurd to suggest that Chelsea may be joining Liverpool in the race for the title.

They do need to kill teams off, though, as this shouldn't have been a game that finished 2-1.

Leicester really lack quality

Four touches in Chelsea's penalty area is all a lacklustre Leicester could manage in the first 45 minutes.

You'd have thought the Foxes would have been pumping full of adrenaline, wanting to prove to former head coach Enzo Maresca that he was wrong to abandon ship in the summer, but that wasn't what transpired.

Instead, the hosts sat off Chelsea, particularly in the first half an hour, and allowed the visitors far too much of the ball. Some indifferent defending from Wout Faes then indirectly led to the opening goal - not the first time the Belgian has invited unwanted trouble - and Steve Cooper's side didn't show any real desire to get stuck in.

The energy of Leicester improved minimally after the break but that largely stemmed from a vocal home support wanting to see more from their team. A late penalty made the scoreline appear far closer than what it was in reality, but this kind of performance can't be the norm at King Power - even if this fixture wouldn't have necessarily been marked down as winnable.

VAR doesn't protect players

Chelsea were a step ahead of Leicester throughout the 90 minutes but Palmer was often playing a completely different game.

The 22-year-old's weight of pass was excellent, his movement deceptive and the ease in which he did everything was awe inspiring. He was certainly too quick for Leicester's Wilfred Ndidi midway through the first half, nipping the ball away with the outside of his boot as he looked to spring forward another attack.

Unfortunately for Palmer, he was so quick to shift things along that Ndidi clumsily stood on his achilles - his studs raking down the Chelsea star's sock in a way that made everybody watching wince with pain.

Referee Andy Madley awarded a yellow card, much to the frustration of Chelsea's players and bench, and that decision was surprisingly verified by VAR. You have to wonder, when you consider some of the other red cards that are dished out on a weekly basis, why this didn't constitute dangerous play, but that's the ongoing beauty of this system.

Zero consistency and zero concern for player welfare, Palmer was lucky to escape a more serious injury.

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