Chelsea down battling Leicester

Scowcroft opens the scoring for Leicester

Leicester City 2-3 Chelsea
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Two substitutions from Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri helped Chelsea win a game they deserved to lose at Leicester.

Gianfranco Zola and Mikael Forssell were brought on at half-time and both played crucial roles in Chelsea's victory.

A superb free-kick from Zola put Chelsea level with 10 minutes to go after two mirror-image Jamie Scowcroft headers seemed to have secured three points for struggling Leicester.

But then Forssell played a one-two with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, who had scored Chelsea's first goal, and the Dutchman smashed the ball into the Leicester net in the final minute.

  Key moments

24 mins: Scowcroft heads in Leicester's first

62 mins: Hasselbaink equalises

67 mins: Scowcroft's header puts Leicester back in front

79 mins: Zola curls in the equaliser

90 mins: Hasselbaink gets the winner after one-two with Forssell

Leicester deserved better after outplaying notoriously inconsistent Chelsea for much of the match.

They went in at half-time one goal up after Scowcroft headed in from Stefan Oakes' corner after 24 minutes.

Even when Hasselbaink equalised 17 minutes into the second half, Leicester wasted no time in getting back in front - with an almost identical goal five minutes later.

The two late goals were the last thing Leicester needed. They started the game five points adrift at the bottom after second-bottom Derby beat Tottenham 1-0 earlier in the day.

Make no mistake, that was a fluke result, Chelsea won 3-2 and they'll pay for that down the line because they'll play better and lose

Foxes boss Dave Bassett

Leicester dominated the first half and had a penalty appeal turned down when Matthew Piper fell under a challenge from Marcel Desailly.

But Chelsea, though playing some way below their best, did make some chances.

Hasselbaink fired two free-kicks over the bar and Eidur Gudjohnsen's shot from 20 yards was too close to Ian Walker, who had no trouble blocking it.

Both Ranieri's substitutes played key roles

But at half time, midfielder Mario Stanic was replaced by striker Forssell and Zola came on for Gudjohnsen.

Zola had an immediate chance to level the scores after Jacob Laursen fouled Forssell on the edge of the area.

But the Italian's free kick curled over the bar.

Leicester remained determined and Matt Elliott came close to scoring after 56 minutes.

Zola's free-kick is the sort he practises every day and he was rewarded with the goal he scored to make it 2-2

Blues boss Claudio Ranieri

But his powerful shot from the right-hand side of the area was tipped over by Carlo Cudicini.

At 2-0. it might have been a different story, but that is when Leicester's luck ran out. Six minutes later Chelsea equalised at 1-1 against the run of play.

Le Saux's cross bounced up at a perfect height for Hasselbaink, who headed it past Walker from the centre of the area.

Although Scowcroft scored again, Chelsea secured the win with two goals in the last 11 minutes.

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Leicester: Walker, Sinclair, Elliott, Laursen, Impey (Marshall 69), Savage, Izzet, Oakes, Davidson, Piper, Scowcroft. Subs Not Used: Flowers, Benjamin, Lewis, Rogers.
Booked: Laursen.

Chelsea: Cudicini, Melchiot, Terry, Desailly, Le Saux, Lampard, Dalla Bona, Petit, Stanic (Forssell 45), Gudjohnsen (Zola 45), Hasselbaink. Subs Not Used: de Goey, Jokanovic, Ferrer.
Booked: Stanic, Petit.

Att: 19,950

Ref: G Barber (Tring).