Raheem Sterling double edges 10-man Chelsea past wasteful Leicester

Raheem Sterling has always known how to make a big impression. His first two goals since joining Chelsea from Manchester City set up a much-needed victory for Thomas Tuchel’s side despite a spirited late comeback from Leicester after Conor Gallagher was shown a red card in the first half.

Sitting in the stands as he served a one-match touchline ban following his spat with the Tottenham manager, Antonio Conte, a fortnight ago, Tuchel could only watch on in horror at the England midfielder’s meltdown. Gallagher was sent off in only his second senior appearance for the club he joined at the age of eight. But while Leicester will feel aggrieved they could not convert a hatful of chances in a frenetic finish after Harvey Barnes pulled one back, ultimately it was Sterling’s goals in the space of 16 second-half minutes that settled this encounter.

It took only a few minutes for the travelling supporters to let Wesley Fofana - who is expected to sign a bumper six-year contract at Stamford Bridge after a £75m fee for the Frenchman was agreed on Friday night - know how they feel about his impending departure. By then, Chelsea should really have been ahead after Ruben Loftus-Cheek failed to make the most of a brilliant cross from the lively Sterling, only for Danny Ward to deny him. Brendan Rodgers insisted this week that he “is one of the last people who will lose my optimism” after Leicester’s disrupted start to the new campaign, but even he must have cursed their luck when James Maddison was ruled out after feeling a twinge in training this week.

That meant bringing in an almost entirely new midfield as Youri Tielemans, Dennis Praet and Boubakary Soumaré were recalled. The hosts had surprisingly lined up with a four-man defence