A 10-man Leicester City were downed 4-2 by Chelsea in the English Football League Cup at the King Power Stadium despite the hosts going up 2-0 up in the first half. Shinji Okazaki scored a brace before Gary Cahill got a goal back at the stroke of half-time. Cesar Azpilicueta levelled scores with a ferocious volley before Leicester's Marcin Wasilewski was given a second yellow late in the second half. Cesc Fabregas scored two excellent extra-time goals to clinch the tie.
Antonio Conte went with a formation that looked somewhat of a 4-4-2 and handed a debut to summer purchase, Marcos Alonso. Neither side were interested in sitting back and it was only going to be a matter of time before the deadlock would be broken. Chelsea's defence, shaky and tentative, shipped what was a soft goal. Leicester went 2-0 up 10 minutes before half-time as Andy King's pass found Okazaki, who made a good run into the box.
The goal at the stroke of half-time by Cahill, heading in a corner by Fabregas, swung the momentum in Chelsea's favour. The away team played with confidence and purpose in the second half, and the equaliser came through an unlikely source in Azpilicueta, who had a rare start at right-back. The Spaniard smashed in a volley from the edge of the box.
On the counter-attack, Leicester City still had plenty in them to trouble the Chelsea backline, who often wore a perplexed look. Ahmed Musa's pace rattled Cahill and Luiz. The tide firmly turned in Chelsea's favour when striker Diego Costa came on, lending his team more bite in attack.
In the 77th minute, Wasilewski got a second yellow after shoving Costa in the face. The London giants looked even more threatening after Eden Hazard was send on. In a sweeping move started by Hazard, Costa and the Belgian teed up to set up Fabregas, who smashed it home in what looked like an excellent training ground manoeuvre. Fabregas scored again from close range from a Costa pass to clinch the game.
