Chelsea beat Leicester 3-0 to go seven points clear at the top

Marcos Alonso and Pedro prove Blues can cope without Costa

* Chelsea beat Leicester 3-0 to go seven points clear at the top

* Alonso scored twice, six minutes into each half

* Pedro headed the third after starting the move with fine flick

* Alonso almost scored a hat-trick with a volley past the far post

* Chelsea said striker Costa missed the game through injury

* Leicester at Southampton next Sunday; Chelsea home to Hull City LEICESTER CITY 0 CHELSEA 3

Two goals from Marcos Alonso and another from Pedro helped Chelsea overcome the absence of Diego Costa to beat Premier League champions Leicester City 3-0 away and move seven points clear at the top on Saturday.

Any sense they would miss their top scorer - officially injured but reported by British media to have had a row with manager Antonio Conte - lasted the six minutes it took Alonso to score with a right-foot shot after Eden Hazard's lay-off.

Pedro almost doubled the lead with a neat free-kick near the end of the half before Alonso struck again six minutes after the interval with a shot that deflected in off Leicester's Wes Morgan.

By that stage, Chelsea enjoyed almost complete control and Pedro wrapped up the win with a header from a move he began with an exquisite flick as the Blues restated their title credentials to restore their lead over second-placed Tottenham Hotspur.