A look at the numbers as Vardy could be the key for Leicester to win the FA Cup against Chelsea
- Sean Byrne
- 14 May 2021
Jamie Vardy will be hoping that this weekend he can help Leicester City lift the FA Cup for the very first time.
Having competed in four FA Cup finals in their history, the last of which coming in 1969, the Foxes are yet to lift the famous trophy.
This weekend they will be looking to create history as they will play at Wembley in front of a limited crowd against Chelsea, who have also reached the Champions League final this season.
Brendan Rodgers' men have beaten Southampton, Man United, Brighton, Brentford and Stoke City on their journey to the final, but the in-form Blues will be their toughest opposition yet.
Tip for the final
Key stats
Leicester City have never beaten Chelsea in the FA Cup in nine attempts.
Jamie Vardy has played Chelsea 15 times, and has won on just three occasions (drawn five, lost seven).
The striker also has played against Chelsea twice in the FA Cup, scoring in one of those games.
Here, we take a closer look at the four games in which Vardy has found himself on the scoresheet against Chelsea:
Leicester City 2-1 Chelsea
14 December 2015, King Power Stadium
It was the famous duo of Vardy and Riyad Mahrez that secured three points in Leicester's title-winning season at home to a struggling Chelsea side.
Inside the first half, Vardy grabbed his 15th goal of the season as he finished off an excellent team move by volleying past Thibaut Courtois from inside the box.
Mahrez doubled Leicester's lead early in the second half with a sublime curling effort, and a goal from Loic Remy wasn't enough to salvage any points for Chelsea.
Not only was Vardy's goal his first shot of the game, but it was also his only shot of the game as he otherwise struggled to penetrate the Chelsea defence throughout the game.
Nevertheless, his side earned the three points, and Vardy proved that he only needs one good chance to get on the scoresheet.
Leicester City 1-2 Chelsea
9 September 2017, King Power Stadium
A Vardy penalty wasn't enough for Leicester this time round as they were beaten by a strike from a former star.
Alvaro Morata and N'Golo Kante gave Chelsea a two-goal advantage after 50 minutes, with the former Foxes man refusing to celebrate after scoring against his former club.
On the hour mark, Vardy got a goal back for his side from the spot after being clumsily brought down by Courtois, but unfortunately for Craig Shakespeare's men it was not enough to take anything from the match.
Partnered next to Islam Slimani, Vardy struggled to make an impact on the game, and a lack of possession for the Foxes meant that it was a quiet game up top for the Englishman.
Leicester City 1-2 Chelsea
18 March 2018, King Power Stadium
When these two met in the FA Cup back in 2018 it took 120 minutes to determine a victor, with Chelsea coming out as the eventual winners.
Cesc Fabregas put the London outfit at an advantage going into half time, but in the second half Leicester deservedly got an equaliser through Vardy.
A low ball in from Mahrez was poorly dealt with by Chelsea, and when the ball became loose Vardy was the first to pounce onto it and smash into the back of the net.
This equaliser meant the game went to extra time, but a 105th-minute strike from Pedro ended Leicester's hopes of cup glory.
In truth Vardy had a number of chances which he would often have finished, but on this occasion he looked unusually off the mark in front of goal.
Chelsea 0-1 Leicester City
22 December 2018, Stamford Bridge
Vardy marked his 250th Leicester appearance with the only goal of the game as his side dug deep to inflict Chelsea with their first home defeat of that season.
Chelsea enjoyed the majority of chances throughout the 90 minutes, but once again Vardy proved he only needs one chance to make an impact on the match.
In the 51st minute a lovely through ball from James Maddison was finished first-time by Vardy as he beat 'keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga at the near post.
It turned out that this was all it took for Leicester to earn three points, and despite not creating as many opportunities as their opponents Vardy was still a nuisance for centre-back pairing Antonio Rudiger and David Luiz.
This weekend, Vardy will be hoping he can once again get on the scoresheet against Chelsea, and help bring Leicester their first piece of silverware since that incredible title-winning campaign.
