Thomas Tuchel reacts to Chelsea profligacy against Leicester; makes Kante, Salah comparison

Thomas Tuchel spoke about Chelsea’s missed chances and compared N’Golo Kante with Mo Salah after his team drew 1-1 with Leicester on Thursday night.

The Blues went behind just six minutes into the game at Stamford Bridge when James Maddison fired past Edouard Mendy. They soon began to dominate possession though, with the equaliser coming in the 34th minute.

Reece James picked out Marcos Alonso with a nice chipped pass, and the Spaniard beat Kasper Schmeichel with a crisp volley.

Chelsea had chances through Romelu Lukaku and Trevoh Chalobah but couldn’t convert.

Their best opportunity fell to Christian Pulisic. Lukaku squared for the American and he had the goal at his mercy, only to completely miss the ball from just a few yards out.

That meant Chelsea drew for the 11th time in the Premier League this season.

During the post-match press conference, Tuchel said (via football.london): “We were the better team and deserved to win. We didn’t allow any chances, got punished by a shot from outside the box.

“We created enough to win, didn’t allow transitions and chances for Leicester. So I am fine with the performance.

“It’s a bit of a broken record – we did not take what we deserve.”

Tuchel added: “We needed a goal from a wing-back and an assist from a wing-back.”

French midfielder N’Golo Kante managed 72 minutes before being taken off and replaced by Ruben Loftus-Cheek. When asked about Kante’s future at Chelsea, Tuchel went on to compare him with some of the sport’s biggest names.

“I think he is our key, key player but key, key players have to be on the pitch and he only plays 40 per cent of games. He is our Mo Salah, [Virgil] van Dijk. He is our Kylian Mbappe.”

On Kante’s fitness, Tuchel continued: “Last year, I think in