Even without Diego Costa, Chelsea showed real potency while blowing Leicester away in clinical fashion, placing serious pressure on Liverpool ahead of Sunday's trip to Manchester United. The gap to Jurgen Klopp's team following Saturday's big win sits at eight points.

The 10 days following the 2-0 defeat at Tottenham on Jan. 4 were supposed to be a time of regrouping for Chelsea after the end of their 13-match winning run. Instead, Costa's absence after a dispute with Conte had been a back page sensation. The Italian's reputation for ruthlessness preceded his arrival in England, and his team share that facet, judging by their destruction of last season's champions. Two goals from Marcos Alonso and a strike from Pedro, whose Chelsea career has been energised by Conte, brought a resumption of normal service.

In the sixth minute, Alonso's first goal, smashed in after Eden Hazard had been first to a ricocheting ball in the box, set Chelsea on their way. Leicester were nowhere near the level of last season. Jamie Vardy led the line with typical aggression, clattering David Luiz with one heavy first-half challenge, but Chelsea's maintenance of a deep defensive line almost completely denied space for him and Ahmed Musa. Meanwhile, N'Golo Kante, given warm applause by Leicester fans for his heroism in last season's triumph, had a stranglehold on midfield alongside Nemanja Matic.

Both teams showed caution in the opening 45 minutes when matched almost man-for-man by similar formations, though only Chelsea found fluency. Just before the break, Pedro was given the chance to make it 2-0 by an imaginative free kick routine before slicing it wide.

But Chelsea wouldn't have to wait much longer. In the 51st minute, Willian's free kick rebounded to Alonso, whose shot deflected off Wes Morgan to wrong-foot Leicester keeper Kasper Schmeichel. The Spanish wing-back, whose place may soon be threatened by Nathan Ake's return from loan at Bournemouth, celebrated that stroke of fortune with the travelling fans, who loudly sang of their team's presence at the top of the league.

Alonso might even have grabbed a hat trick when later thrashing a volley wide. He has become an attacking force in Conte's team, which definitively proved its scoring power lies far beyond Costa. Pedro headed in the third in after some elegant interplay with Willian and a deflection off Schmeichel.

2. Costa's absence not keenly felt

The 24 hours of prematch buildup had been consumed by the Costa affair, as both sides of the argument countered the other over a lucrative offer from China that may or may not have turned the striker's head.

What stayed undisputed was Costa's absence from Saturday's match. How Chelsea might learn to live without a player who had scored 14 goals in 19 matches was the key plot line before kickoff. Employing Hazard as a false No.9 was little surprise, considering the Belgian destroyed Bournemouth when fulfilling that role on Dec. 26 -- Costa's previous absence from the Premier League -- in a 3-0 stroll.

Michy Batshuayi, yet to start a Premier League game, sat on the bench as per usual and played the last seven minutes, by which point the contest was finished. Should the Costa crisis worsen and the relationship with Conte become irreparable, another striker will surely be sought to lead the line. Swansea's Fernando Llorente remains the most widely speculated January purchase.

Hazard's usefulness in the centre was quickly exhibited, as his speed of thought gave Alonso space and the angle to score. To Costa and his admirers, which included a section of away fans singing their hero's name, the point was made as early as the sixth minute, even if there were occasional passages of play where Chelsea missed his ability to bully opposing defences.

By the end, though, Conte's name was sung far louder than his dissident leading scorer.

3. Chilwell impresses as Ranieri tinkers

The African Nations Cup, which started on Saturday, forced Claudio Ranieri into a rethink. Ghana's Daniel Amartey, recently a regular in midfield, was replaced by Wilfred Ndidi, signed from Genk earlier this month and making his home debut in a trio with Danny Drinkwater and Nampalys Mendy. The three struggled with the power of Matic and Kante all afternoon.

The absence of Islam Slimani (joint-top scorer with Vardy) and Algerian colleague Riyad Mahrez might be more keenly felt over the next month, even allowing for the dip in form that Mahrez has suffered this season.

Chelsea's former "Tinkerman" lived up to his old nickname by going 3-5-2, perhaps as an attempt to mimic Tottenham's success in muting Chelsea's previously all-conquering 3-4-3. It was an experiment that failed as soon as Cesar Azpilicueta's cross began the move that set up Alonso's opener.

Ben Chilwell, a 20-year-old of whom much is expected at Leicester and the subject of reported interest from Liverpool last summer, played at left wing-back and impressed down his flank. He even got so far forward as to get on the end of Leicester's first real chance, a cross that he headed wide. His sharpness in the tackle was also on show.

With Leicester's chance of repeating last season's fairy tale extinguished, and relegation only a partial possibility, this must instead be a season of rebuilding, and Chilwell looks a worthy part of the process.