Kai Havertz’s sublime finish helps Chelsea win at struggling Leicester

Assuming Match of the Day is still running by the time their goal of the month competition for March is staged, Chelsea should have three contenders on the shortlist after brilliant finishes from Ben Chilwell, Kai Havertz and Mateo Kovacic enabled Graham Potter to celebrate a third win in what had been cast as potentially the manager’s final week at the club.

Gary Lineker could be forgiven for wanting to return to the warmth of the BBC studios if this is what watching Leicester live is like. This fifth successive defeat, in all competitions, means Brendan Rodgers picks up the baton as the Premier League manager most under pressure, with Leicester one point above the relegation zone.

This was the first time Chelsea had scored three times in a game since October, and only the third time this season. Even if their performance was still far from dominant, two league victories and a safe passage into the quarter-finals of the Champions League presages well for Potter. At least he has more breathing space now than the BBC and Lineker have after their impasse over the Leicester-supporting presenter’s social media posts.

Other former Leicester favourites were soon making their impression too. Chilwell and Wesley Fofana’s names were booed when the teams were read out and just about every time they touched the ball. So it was in keeping with the afternoon’s sense of narrative that they were the first players entering Andre Marriner’s notebook, although the nature of Chilwell’s contribution was remarkable.

A corner from the sometime England left-back, who switched between these clubs for £50m two-and-a-half years ago, was headed on towards what seemed like safety by Harry Souttar before being retrieved by Kalidou Koulibaly out