Advertisement
Jamie Vardy facing Ireland's Dara O'Shea. PA

Leicester crush West Brom to boost top-four chances and snuff out Baggies' revival

The Foxes were 3-0 winners after first-half goals from Jamie Vardy, Jonny Evans and Kelechi Iheanacho.

LEICESTER BLITZED WEST Brom 3-0 to strengthen their grip on a Premier League top-four place and snuff out the Baggiesโ€™ revival.

Brendan Rodgersโ€™ men were wobbling after losing their previous two top-flight matches but produced a dazzling attacking display against the insipid visitors at the King Power Stadium.

First-half goals from Jamie Vardy, Jonny Evans and Kelechi Iheanacho gave West Brom a mountain to climb and Leicester kept a firm grip on the match after the break.

Third-placed Leicester, whose implosion at the end of last season cost them a Champions League place, now have a valuable four-point lead over Chelsea and West Ham, with just six games to go.

James Maddison made his first start since February as the FA Cup finalists took a firm grip of the match and they could easily have scored six goals in a one-sided opening 45 minutes.

Sam Allardyceโ€™s West Brom โ€” for whom Irish duo Callum Robinson and Dara Oโ€™Shea started, the former substituted at the break and the latter playing the full game โ€” had beaten Chelsea and Southampton to give them hope of a dramatic escape from the relegation zone but they remain in 19th spot, nine points from safety, and look doomed.

Vardy ended his two-month goal drought when he swept in Timothy Castagneโ€™s pass after the pair had broken clear, putting the Foxes in front midway through the first half.

It was Vardyโ€™s first goal in 12 appearances for Leicester in all competitions, ending his longest run without a goal for the club since 2016.

Defender Evans doubled the home sideโ€™s lead against his former club in the 26th minute when he headed in Youri Tielemansโ€™ corner.

Iheanacho continued his fine form, making it 3-0 when he collected Vardyโ€™s pass and fired past Sam Johnstone.

It could have been even worse for the Baggies. A heavy touch from Iheanacho cost him when he was through one on one with Johnstone and he later fired over from close range while Castagne hit a post.

Leicester maintained their grip on the game in the second half but lacked their earlier sharpness in attacking areas.

West Brom were a sporadic threat as the game wore on but never seriously threatened a comeback as Leicester celebrated a vital three points.

ยฉ โ€“ AFP, 2021


The42 Rugby Weekly / SoundCloud

Murray Kinsella, Bernard Jackman and Gavan Casey look at the bigger picture for Irish womenโ€™s rugby, the disconnect between the amateur and pro games, and the anticlimactic โ€˜northernโ€™ Rainbow Cup.

Author
View 4 comments
Close
4 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy here before taking part.
Leave a Comment
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Eoin Fitzgerald
    Favourite Eoin Fitzgerald
    Report
    Apr 22nd 2021, 10:40 PM

    Massive 3 points for Leicester. Iheancho is playing some stuff lately.

    31
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Bantersaurus Rex
    Favourite Bantersaurus Rex
    Report
    Apr 22nd 2021, 11:23 PM

    @Eoin Fitzgerald: anyone know if City have a buy back clause in his contract?

    3
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Eoin Fitzgerald
    Favourite Eoin Fitzgerald
    Report
    Apr 22nd 2021, 11:28 PM

    @Bantersaurus Rex: Iโ€™m almost sure he has a ยฃ50 million buy back clause. Could be a possible replacement for aguero.

    8
    See 1 more reply โ–พ
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Colm Connolly
    Favourite Colm Connolly
    Report
    Apr 23rd 2021, 7:18 AM

    @Eoin Fitzgerald: ya ยฃ50m, buy back expires June 2022

    2
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.

Leave a commentcancel