The Foxes have continued their Premier League great escape with an emphatic 3-0 win over struggling Newcastle United, making it 5 wins from 6 games.
Following a week of controversial press conferences, Nigel Pearson let his team’s football do the talking on the pitch with a comfortable win.
Leicester City keep their survival hopes alive after dominating Newcastle
Leicester set the pace of the game straight from the Newcastle kick-off, closing down the ball which led to Leonardo Ulloa scoring from a corner within the first minute. Although they saw a large amount of possession in the first half, Newcastle failed to break down the solid Leicester defence.
Despite lacking to make their set pieces effective for the majority of the season, they proved to be the difference today as Leicester scored all three goals from set pieces with a corner, a free kick and a penalty. The key to this has been Marc Albrighton whose gifted crossing ability set up Ulloa for the first goal and captain Wes Morgan for the second shortly after.
Victory was all but confirmed when Marcin Wasilewski was pushed over in the box leaving referee Mike Dean no choice but to award the penalty. Leonardo Ulloa stepped up to grab his second goal of the game making it 3-0 to cap an excellent performance. It was always going to be an uphill task for Newcastle to get a share of the points at a lively King Power Stadium, given the two contrasting forms of both teams. They made it even more difficult for themselves in the latter stages of the game when Mike Williamson and Daryl Jaanmat were both sent off for the away side.
The recent run of form from the Foxes has seemed to come from those who were pivotal to the side’s excellent campaign last year as well as some new faces that hadn’t featured much in the first half of the season. The pace and energy of Jamie Vardy has been vital for their fast attacking football as he has come back into the side contributing a number of goals and assists. The same can be said for new signing Marc Albrighton, whose desire and work rate earned him his first Leicester goal against Chelsea on Wednesday. Fellow summer signing Esteban Cambiasso has also played an integral part in the team’s relegation battle, as the well-decorated veteran’s ability, intelligence and knowledge of the game has impressed the fans over the season.
One of the key players over the last few weeks has been the centre-back, Robert Huth, who was signed on loan from Stoke City in the January transfer window. The German’s physical presence has really solidified the Leicester City defence and it has benefited the team knowing they have a reliable and unyielding player behind them. Should Leicester avoid relegation from the Premier League, their first bit of business would surely be to complete the signing of Huth on a permanent deal as the assurance he has brought to the side is a promising look on another season in the top flight.
Although Nigel Pearson has got his tactics spot on in the last few weeks and the results are finally reflecting his team’s performances, the teams around them in the relegation battle are also showing signs of good form. With Aston Villa beating Everton 3-2 and Sunderland unexpectedly winning 2-1 against Southampton, Leicester remain just one point above the relegation zone and know they still have a job to do, needing another couple of wins to get themselves over the line. The Foxes still have to play two of the teams also fighting to stay in the league and they have some easier fixtures than their rivals so having put themselves in a great position, it is far from an unlikelihood that that they can stay up.
Next to face Leicester at the King Power Stadium is Southampton and, following the defeat to Sunderland, they understand it will be far from an easy game. The belief is definitely with the Foxes as they look to continue their dominant form with another attacking display. They will aim to replicate the creativity, pace and determination shown over the last six matches in an attempt to prove to the critics that they are not giving up without a fight. The home crowd is going to have to be in full voice to reproduce the electric atmosphere seen in recent weeks in order to spark the players with the strong belief and winning mentality. Encouragement from the fans is certainly something which has kept the Leicester players going through a tough season, and knowing that the team is supported even in the most difficult times is a promising outlook for the upcoming seasons.
With three games remaining against Southampton, Sunderland and QPR, Leicester are in an amazing position to pull off what would be the greatest of escapes. After being rooted at the bottom of the table for nearly six months, the turnaround of form and good fortune has given everyone involved with the club reason to be optimistic, and as the team are finally beginning to play with the intensity shown in the Championship last season it is proving to be an exciting end to the Premier League campaign.
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