Raheem Sterling’s first two goals for Chelsea steered the 10-man Blues to a hard-fought 2-1 home win over Leicester City as Thomas Tuchel’s side overcame the early dismissal of Conor Gallagher in the Premier League on Saturday.
Two yellow cards for Gallagher after less than 30 minutes seemed have left Chelsea with a mountain to climb.
But the brace from Sterling, who joined from Manchester City in the close season, put the hosts in control – the first a deflected looping shot over goalkeeper Danny Ward in the 47th minute and a tap in 16 minutes later from a Reece James cross.
Leicester hit back in the 66th when Harvey Barnes exchanged passes with Jamie Vardy and drove an angled shot past keeper Edouard Mendy at his near post.
Leicester, who have struggled so far this season, pushed for an equaliser and Mendy was forced into saves from Barnes and Vardy, who also shot into the side netting. As the clock ticked down, substitute Ayoze Perez hit the bar.
But Chelsea, marshalled in defence by Thiago Silva and Trevoh Chalobah, held on for their first home win of the season, leaving them in sixth place with seven points from four games. Leicester are languishing second-bottom with one point.