MADD ANGLE
Moment of magic sees James catch Saints by surprise
JAMES MADDISON was on his best behaviour as he sent Gareth Southgate a classy reminder of his talent.
The Foxes midfielder found the key to unlock one of the meanest defences in the Premier League in front of the watching England boss at the King Power.
Maddison thumped home in the first half from an acute angle as these two top-flight upstarts – harbouring hopes they can gatecrash the end-of-season Champions League party – went at it full-throttle. Harvey Barnes provided the icing on the cake with the Foxes’ second right at the death when he raced on to Youri Tielemans’ pass and finished with ease.
But Maddison proved after scoring his goal that he had been listening to the words that have rained down on footballers about the need for socially-distanced celebrations. He found the net – ushering away all of his teammates – and then pretended to shake hands with all of them.
It was certainly novel and it would no doubt have impressed England’s head coach, who saw the Saints rearguard breached for the first time in 382 minutes.
This battle featured two sides who are right at the top of their game, with pretty much all the star performers on the pitch – bar Covid-stricken Danny Ings – and with a place in the upper reaches of the Premier League at stake neither planned to take a step backwards.
This wasn’t Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury going at it – two real heavyweights – but more like middleweights Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns from yesteryear – tearing into each other from the off and trusting that their heart, willpower and technique would bring victory.
In the blue corner, the Foxes
boasted Jamie Vardy, Maddison and Barnes. In the red and white, Theo Walcott and Che Adams.
With both sides oozing dynamism and prepared to throw bodies forward, the only surprise was that it took until the 37th minute for the deadlock to be broken.
Prior to Maddison’s strike, both keepers had come under pressure – but it was the visitors who created the most openings.
Kasper Schmeichel, on his 400th appearance for the Foxes, was the busier of the two and by the interval, had produced two stops that only served to highlight his importance to boss
Brendan Rodgers (below). Ings might have been sidelined, but that gave boss Ralph Hasenhuttl the opportunity to use Walcott closer to striker Adams.early on, it was former Birmingham City forward Adams who raced clear down the right.
He had a clear 10 yards on Jonny Evans, but the veteran Northern Ireland international used all his experience to put his opponent under pressure as he bore down on Leicester’s keeper and Adams fluffed his lines. At the other end, Alex Mccarthy blocked from Barnes after Marc Albrighton and Vardy combined before Walcott fed Adams whose fierce shot was beaten away by Schmeichel. It was heady stuff and something had to give. Eight minutes before the interval, it did. Tielemans was, for once given too much time by the Saints midfield, and he slipped a ball to Maddison who managed to keep control of the ball and hold off Jack Stephens, who was wrestling him for possession. The £24million signing from Norwich kept his cool, lashing between Mccarthy and the upright before getting into everyone’s good books with his reaction.
It was impossible for the pace to be maintained after the interval as Hasenhuttl’s side gambled.
Vardy went close with a header just eight yards, then Southampton came within a whisker of equalising when Stuart Armstrong let fly from 25 yards.
For once, Schmeichel was beaten, but the crossbar came to his, and Leicester’s, rescue.