Stand-in skipper Kovacic admits Chelsea needed to step up

Mateo Kovacic believes Chelsea proved their worth as their revival continued at Leicester.

The midfielder, 28, wrapped up a 3-1 victory on Saturday after Ben Chilwell and Kai Havertz had struck. 

It was a third straight win for Graham Potter — and the first time Chelsea had scored three goals in a Premier League game since October — to further ease any pressure on the manager. 

The Blues remain 10th but stand-in skipper Kovacic feels they have finally got to grips with the season. 

He told the club's official website: "We knew we needed to step up. 

"We still have a lot of work to do because we are not in a good position for this club.

"But it's a lot more positive to know we are now winning points and performing a lot better. 

"Of course, it's nice to score and I'm really happy to help the team. 

"But for me, the most important thing is getting the three points. 

"We stood up to the physical challenge from Leicester and I think we've shown a lot of character to record three important wins.

"The challenge now is to make sure we put in performances like this on a consistent basis and continue to move up the table." 

Leicester levelled through Patson Daka but ended the game with 10 men after Wout Faes earned a second yellow card late on. 

It was a fifth straight defeat in all competitions for the Foxes, who remain in relegation trouble. 

Daka told LCFC TV: "There's no future in the past so we have to look forward to the next game. We knew it was not going to be easy.

"We need to support and fight for each other and I think we showed that. It's unlucky that the result is not enough. 

"It's something we need to work on. We need to stay concentrated each and every moment. 

"It's a frustration at the end of the day. We have to keep our heads high. 

"It's a disappointing result but I think there are also a lot of positives to take. 

"We had a great start. We worked well as a team, we fought hard and we just need a bit of luck."