Chelsea were outfoxed by Leicester City at the King Power Stadium tonight going down 2-1 to the league leaders and to their ninth league defeat of the season.
A shamboloic first half performance saw the home side take the lead thorough player of the season Jamie Vardy. And seconds into the restart winger Riyad Mahrez added insult to injury with a classy left footer to put them 2-0 up.
Jose Mourinho went for broke taking off centre back John Terry and throwing on striker Loic Remy.
Remy brought the Blues back into the game with a smart header but they could not force home an equaliser.
Quite what was going through the heads of the players, the starting eleven were the same as put Porto to the sword in the Champions League last week is anybodies guess, but the reality is that champions Chelsea are Jan a relegation battle.
Leicester started on the front foot and within a minute had a shot on target, Riyad Mahrez forcing Thibaut Courtois into a smart diving save.
But the Blues responded well and with seconds had gone up the other end and received two quick corners for their efforts.
however ex-Chelsea cent-back Robert Huth was equal to the task and headed clear on each occasion.
There followed a period when be other side appeared to take a grip on it. A Christian Fuchs free kick on 12 minutes was dropped by Courtois when a regulation catch was more appropriate.
foxes boss Claudio Ranieri was forced into an early substation, when Andy King replaced injured Danny Drinkwater on 17 minutes.
Courtois and Kurt Zouma almost conspired to let in speed merchant Jamie Vardy on 19 minutes - Courtois, devoid of confidence was too late to clear the ball first time, instead almost letting in Vardy. Thankfully he recovered to hack the ball clear from the edge of his penalty area.
Jose Mourinho was forced to make a substitution of his own on 31 minutes when Vardy elbowed and shoved his right knee into Hazard.
The Belgium midfielder limped back on the pitch after treatment, but 10 seconds later walked off again. On came Pedro.
But the Londoners were caught cold two minutes later when a simple angled ball by Mahrez between John Terry and Zouma was met by the right boot of top scorer Vardy who volleyed comfortably home past Courtois.
Nemanja Matic almost levelled instantly from a Willian corner but his header from eight yards out was just over Kasper Schmeichel's crossbar.
No further changes by either manager was made at half-time.utes after tha
Twenty seconds in and Vardy scythed down Costa who did well to hold his temper. Vardy was rightly yellow-carded by referee Mark Clattenberg.
But two minutes after that and the Blues went further behind. Again a simple pass to Mahrez on the left saw the French-born Algerian winger tease Azpilicueta with his twinkle toes before he curled the perfect left footer wide of Courtois and into the back of his net.
To address the decline, Mourinho took off his skipper Terry for Cesc Fabregas on 53 minutes.
Within minutes Fabregas set up Costa but Kasper Schmeichel smothered the striker's close range effort on 62 minutes as the visitors attempted to get a goal back. Ivanovic also saw a shot cleared at the far post.
The goal was coming and it did on 78 minutes when a sensational Pedro left wing cross was met beautifully by substitute Loic Remy, who headed in from close range.
Chelsea: Courtois, Ivanovic Zouma, Ramires, Oscar, Hazard, Costa, Matic, Willian, Terry, Azpilicueta
Subs, Begovic, Fabregas, Mikel, Kenedy, Pedro, Remy, Cahill
Leicester City: Schmeichel, Drinkwater, Morgan, Huth, Vardy, Albrighton, Kante, Simpson, Ulloa, Manfez, Fuchs
Subs, King, Okazaki, Dyer, Wasilewski, Benalouane, Schwarzer, Inler
Referee: Mark Clattenberg