Leicester dare to dream after blunting Blades
BRENDAN Rodgers stopped the meltdown as Leicester eased once more out of lockdown and secured a ticket back into European football.
Ayoze Perez and Demarai Gray scored to clinch the victory against Sheffield United and soothe concerns at the King Power after a miserable run of form.
Blades boss Chris Wilder was furious with his team’s below-par performance but Leicester produced the reaction their manager demanded after Sunday’s 4-1 capitulation at Bournemouth.
‘We needed that response,’ said Rodgers. ‘It was an outstanding team performance. That was us back for 90 minutes. Since the lockdown we haven’t been back to that level. I thought we were brilliant, good intensity, good speed, we looked creative and had courage to play. We showed our true face and we are in this position because of many performances like that this season.’
Leicester moved to within one point of Chelsea in third with two to play and the home fixture against Manchester United on the final day of the campaign. They are guaranteed to finish in the top six, which means entry into the Europa League next season, although their sights are higher.
‘That is a phenomenal achievement,’ said Rodgers. ‘When we sat down at the start of the season, that was our challenge and to be in this position with a couple of games to go is amazing.
‘Can we go on to the Champions League? It’s going to be tough. We’ll give it everything we can.’
Leicester’s injuries are piling up. After the match, Rodgers ruled out Ben Chilwell and James Maddison for the season and revealed Christian Fuchs will miss three months with a hip problem.
He was delighted, however, with a clean sheet from a defensive unit featuring a teenage debutant and veteran captain Wes Morgan, his first appearance since February.
Nineteen-year-old Luke Thomas excelled. He was composed on the ball going forward and aware of his defensive responsibilities. Perhaps this was a clue to the reasons they might be prepared to listen to big-money offers for Chilwell.
Thomas’s delivery from wide areas was excellent and he supplied the pass for the opener, cut short and square to find Perez who fired it crisply into the bottom corner, his first goal since a pair against West Ham in January.
United did not muster a single effort on target in a disappointing first half and Wilder made his feelings clear with three half-time changes. They played with greater urgency but were increasingly vulnerable on the counter-attack.
Jamie Vardy sprinted clear in an inside left channel and thumped a shot against the outside of a post.
Dean Henderson, who denied Vardy and Perez in the first half, made two more saves from Harvey Barnes to keep the Blades in it.
Wilder sent on Billy Sharp, switched to a back four and saw his side force a save from Kasper Schmeichel from a corner.
But that was as good as it would get. Substitute Gray tucked the ball past Henderson after another swift and incisive breakaway and a final pass from Vardy.
‘We were way off from the first minute to the 94th,’ conceded
Wilder. ‘In every aspect we were second best. We lacked thought, lacked care, lacked aggression, lacked enthusiasm. We lacked every part of the game you need to do well at to have a chance of getting any sort of result.
‘There’s been no exchange with the players. I’m not interested in what the players have to say. I don’t care about asking for their opinion.
‘There’s nothing wrong with my eyes and I’ve seen a really poor performance. I won’t forget this.’
LEICESTER CITY (3-4-3): Schmeichel 6; Bennett 6.5, Morgan 6, Evans 7; Justin 7, Ndidi 7, TIELEMANS 8, Thomas 7; Perez 6.5 (Choudhury 71min, 6), Vardy 7.5, Barnes 6.5 (Gray 76, 7). Subs not used: Ward, Iheanacho, James, Mendy, Praet, Johnson, Hirst. Scorers: Perez 29, Gray 79. Booked: Evans. Manager: Brendan Rodgers 7. SHEFFIELD UNITED (3-5-2): Henderson 7.5; Basham 6 (Sharp 59, 5), Egan 6, O’Connell 6; Baldock 6, Berge 5 (Lundstram 46, 5), Norwood 6, Osborn 5 (Fleck 46, 5), Stevens 6; McGoldrick 5 (Mousset 46, 5), McBurnie 6. Subs not used: Moore, Zivkovic, Jagielka, K Freeman, Robinson. Booked: Egan, Fleck. Manager: Chris Wilder 6. Referee: Michael Oliver 6.