CLOUTFOXED
Vardy can’t find a way past O’leary as Robins deal another blow to Leicester
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RICHARD LATHAM
ENZO MARESCA backed Jamie Vardy to reignite Leicester’s stuttering bid for automatic promotion after the England striker fired blanks at Ashton Gate.
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Twice Vardy looked certain to score with only Max O’leary to beat, but on both occasions the Bristol
City goalkeeper foiled him with brilliant saves.
Add a couple of other efforts from good positions that went wide and it spelled misery for Vardy, particularly when Anis Mehmeti condemned Leicester to a fourth defeat in six Championship games with a superb 73rd-minute strike.
Vardy was substituted after the goal and, along with his team-mates, had to endure jeers at the final whistle from the massed ranks of travelling fans, concerned that a top-two finish is slipping away.
But Leicester boss Maresca (circle) said: “Jamie doesn’t need to apologise to anyone after all he has contributed over the years. Even the best strikers miss chances. That’s football. He will continue to be a very important player to us over the remaining games.
“The reaction of our fans at the end was understandable. All I can say to them is that if they get nervous now it can transmit to the players.
“There would be cause for concern if the performances weren’t there. But we are creating so much and our recent defeats have all been down to poor finishing.”
Mehmeti’s winning goal was a stunner, accepting a square pass from substitute Mark Sykes on the edge of the box and sending a left-footed screamer into the roof of the net.
O’leary had kept Bristol City in it, his best save coming on 62 minutes when he paid for trying to play out from the back. Vardy was left with the goal at his mercy only for the goalkeeper to fingertip his effort wide.
Ten minutes earlier the inspired O’leary had denied Vardy in another oneon-one situation before recovering his footing to keep out Stephy Mavididi’s rebound effort.
But Bristol City made plenty of openings too and looked to be denied a penalty on 18 minutes when Tommy Conway went down under a challenge from Wout Faes.
Head coach Liam Manning said: “I have to admit I expected our net to bulge with the Vardy chances, but Max O’leary did an outstanding job.
“We might have had a couple of penalties and the lads were terrific in carrying out our game plan. In the end, we deserved the result.” BRISTOL CITY: O’leary 9, Vyner 7, Dickie 8, Roberts 7, Tanner 6 (Mccrorie 61, 6), Knight 7, (Williams 80), James 7, Pring 7, Mehmeti 8, Twine 6 (Sykes 61, 8), Conway 7 (Wells 69, 6)
LEICESTER: Hermansen 7, Choudhury 6 (Perreira
78), Faes 7, Vestergaard 7, Justin 6, Ndidi 6, Winks 7, Dewsbury-hall 7, Fatawu 6, Vardy 6 (Iheanacho 74), Mavididi 8