On the evidence of Sunday’s draw Chelsea are going to be a work in progress for a while. For all that there were flashes of positivity for them to cling to, this was supposed to be Frank Lampard’s big day and it ended up being remembered for the way his new side’s flaws were exposed by the intelligence of Leicester, whose vibrant recovery after a slow start demonstrated why they have aspirations of taking Chelsea’s place in the top six this season.

Leicester were the team pressing for a winner as an entertaining game drew to a close and, in the circumstances, Lampard had to be satisfied with a point bearing in mind how anxiety rippled round Stamford Bridge once the visitors regained their composure and took control after the break. It was another second half when Chelsea underwhelmed, echoing last Sunday’s collapse against Manchester United, and the awkward truth is they were fortunate not to concede again once Wilfred Ndidi had cancelled out Mason Mount’s opener.

Chelsea 1-1 Leicester City: Premier League – as it happened Read more

Not that it was all doom and gloom for Chelsea’s new manager. Indeed there were some good signs for Lampard, not least a mature display from Mount, whose first Premier League goal is unlikely to be his last. From a collective perspective, however, Chelsea have issues to resolve. Their midfield found trying to keep track of James Maddison too much for them as an absorbing game wore on and Rodgers was not wrong to say that Leicester had the chances to earn their first win of the season. Maddison, in particular, will not want to remember the moment when he blazed over with Kepa Arrizabalaga’s goal at his mercy.

Play Video 1:35 Frank Lampard admits he was happier after 4-0 United defeat than Leicester draw – video

For Chelsea the frustration was how they faded after threatening to overwhelm Leicester during the opening 25 minutes. Stamford Bridge was rocking before kick-off, with the optimistic mood summed up by the “Welcome Home Super Frank” banner in the Shed End, and the home side was full of creative energy as they attacked that end from the opening whistle. It was relentless and they almost scored with their first attack, Pedro volleying just wide after a clever lay-off from Olivier Giroud, who briefly looked in the mood to bully a defence weakened by the sale of Harry Maguire to United.

The absence of Ben Chilwell at left-back made Leicester’s back four even more vulnerable and they were slow to react to the obvious threat from Chelsea, who were pressing high in an attempt to force errors in dangerous areas. Lampard wants his players to be hungry when their opponents have possession and, although Rodgers always gives his teams freedom to express themselves, Leicester’s manager needed his players to judge the temperature and weather the storm.

Leicester continued to back their ability on the ball instead, even after Kasper Schmeichel had rescued them with a splendid double save from Mount and Christian Pulisic, and nothing encapsulated their failure to read the warning signs more than Ndidi dithering on the edge of his own area in the sixth minute and assuming that nobody would come near him.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Ndidi is dispossessed by Mason Mount, who broke through on goal to give Chelsea the lead. Photograph: Michael Regan/Getty Images

The midfielder could not have been more wrong. Eager to show that he has been listening to Lampard, Mount sprinted forward and won the ball with a challenge that left Ndidi on the ground. At least the Nigerian had a good view of the youngster demonstrating why Mount has been compared to Lampard as he kept his balance and drilled a low, hard finish past Schmeichel from 18 yards.

At that stage, with Chelsea rampant and Stamford Bridge bouncing, Leicester must have feared the worst but there was always a suspicion that Chelsea would struggle to maintain that early tempo after their exertions against Liverpool in the Uefa Super Cup in Istanbul last Wednesday. Sure enough, the contest settled down and that allowed Leicester to enjoy some promising moments as the interval approached, even though they were finding it hard to get into shooting positions.

Chelsea grew a little erratic, with Pulisic and Pedro toiling in the wide areas, and Leicester took control at the start of the second half. Hamza Choudhury stamped his authority all over midfield, Jamie Vardy’s speed unnerved Chelsea’s suspect back four and an equaliser looked certain when Maddison rounded Arrizabalaga, only for Mount to demonstrate his team ethic by stopping Youri Tielemans from tapping into an unguarded net.

John Lundstram strikes to give Sheffield United victory over Crystal Palace Read more

The mood had changed and Lampard could sense which way the wind was blowing. He tried to jolt his side into life by replacing Giroud with Tammy Abraham, who was the subject of racial abuse on social media last week, but the problem was in the middle, where N’Golo Kanté and Jorginho were given the runaround by Leicester’s creators, Maddison, Ayoze Pérez and Tielemans.

Maddison was pulling the strings for Leicester and it was the England international who created the equaliser in the 67th minute. He bent in a corner from the right and Cesar Azpilicueta was powerless to prevent Ndidi, seeking to make up for his earlier error, from heading past Arrizabalaga.

Chelsea might have punished such impertinence in previous years but they remained becalmed and while Lampard was relieved to see Maddison and Vardy miss late chances for Leicester he is still searching for his first win.