Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink baled below par Chelsea out with an injury-time winner to plunge Leicester deeper into Barclaycard Premiership relegation trouble.

The Dutchman seized onto a pass from Mikael Forssell to drill a low drive past City goalkeeper Ian Walker to clinch an undeserved victory for his side.

It was rough justice on Dave Bassett's side who had produced some of their best football of the season to twice taking the lead.

But any side with Hasselbaink in their ranks is always capable of pulling something out of the fire - and so it proved.

Leicester's two-goal striker James Scowcroft had been dogged by injuries during the early part of the campaign after his £3million move from Ipswich but he is now starting to show the benefit of a consistent run of games.

He was a constant threat in the air to a far-from-secure-looking Chelsea defence but they were also rattled by the pace of Matthew Piper.

Bassett had loaned Piper - the brother of Warwickshire wicketkeeper Keith Piper - out to Mansfield and only recalled him because of an injury crisis.

But he caused all sorts of problems for Marcel Desailly and Mario Melchiot and looks on this evidence to be an outstanding prospect.

Chelsea had produced another of those baffling performances against lower placed sides when they failed to sparkle and manager Claudio Ranieri should be indebted to Hasselbaink for his late, late show.

Leicester, without a league win for two months, were soon into their stride and had claims for a penalty turned down after a challenge by Desailly on former Chelsea player Muzzy Izzet.

Scowcroft was only just the top with a shot at the far post after John Terry failed to clear a cross from Piper.

Chelsea struggled to make much impression going forward but, given their dismal scoring record, it was still like a bolt out of the blue when Leicester went ahead after 24 minutes.

Stefan Oakes sent over an outswinging corner and Scowcroft timed his jump perfectly to send a downward header past the dive of Carlo Cudicini into the corner of the net for his fifth goal of the campaign.

Chelsea manager Ranieri decided action had to be taken and he reverted from 4-4-2 to 3-5-2 around the half-hour mark.

The Londoners threatened for the first time when Ian Walker held onto a half volley from Eidur Gudjohnsen after Hasselbaink had headed the ball into his path.

But that was the total sum of their first-half menace and it was the Foxes who threatened to add to their lead.

City had another penalty shout against Desailly denied after he had difficulty containing Piper.

Then Scowcroft again caused problems in the air with a header which flew just wide from another Oakes free-kick.

Chelsea's frustrations began to boil over and both Mario Stanic and Emmanuel Petit were yellow carded for dissent shortly before the interval.

Ranieri sent on Gianfranco Zola and Forssell in place of Gudjohnsen and Stanic for the second half.

But it needed a superb reflex save from Cudicini to prevent City from doubling their lead.

Oakes' free-kick was not fully cleared and the ball fell to Elliott whose half volley seemed destined for the roof of the net until Cudicini tipped acrobatically over the crossbar.

This was to prove crucial for after 62 minutes the visitors got back on level terms Hasselbaink's 21st goal of the season.

Le Saux sent over a left-wing cross which was flicked on by Forssel - and Hasselbaink did the rest with a close-range header.

Back came Leicester and Scowcroft put them back in front when he headed in a corner from Oakes and for a time a first home victory since November seemed possible.

But Zola marked his 250th appearance for Chelsea by curling home a free-kick for the equaliser with 12 minutes left and then Hasselbaink broke Leicester's hearts in the last minute.

Teams:

Leicester: Walker, Sinclair, Elliott, Laursen, Impey (Marshall 69), Savage, Izzet, Oakes, Davidson, Piper, Scowcroft.

Subs Not Used: Flowers, Benjamin, Lewis, Rogers.

Booked: Laursen.

Goals: Scowcroft 24, 68.

Chelsea: Cudicini, Melchiot, Terry, Desailly, Le Saux, Lampard, Dalla Bona, Petit, Stanic (Forssell 45), Gudjohnsen (Zola 45), Hasselbaink.

Subs Not Used: de Goey, Jokanovic, Ferrer.

Booked: Stanic, Petit.

Goals: Hasselbaink 62, Zola 79, Hasselbaink 90.

Att: 19,950

Ref: G Barber (Tring).