Ranieri relief as win eases fears of drop
AS THE minutes ticked down, Claudio Ranieri clapped, cajoled and convinced his players to give every last drop to the cause and then threw his arms up in relief at the final whistle.
This was an essential win that pauses the thought that a startling relegation might follow an implausible title.
The decisive moment came when Islam Slimani headed in Marc Albrighton’s cross and there was a return to the kind of unified work ethic that drove their unprecedented success.
Riyad Mahrez was restored to the starting line-up and a first clean sheet in 12 Premier League games and Kasper Schmeichel’s return from injury are not mutually exclusive either.
West Ham United had chances to equalise and their manager Slaven Bilic might think Andy Carroll should have done better with a header five minutes from time while Schmeichel saved from Dimitri Payet and Michail Antonio hit the bar.
Ranieri placed Mahrez as a No. 10, pushed Marc Albrighton right and Demarai Gray left and his tactical changes worked. ‘It was important to change something because now the world is waiting for Riyad on the right to come inside,’ said a satisfied Ranieri. ‘And I know Marc crosses much better from the right. Slimani’s header is a masterpiece, no?
‘He (Slimani) can only improve. He has scored six goals and that’s good for us. But we have to find him much better because he has very good quality.’
Bilic said: ‘I believe we deserved something. I’m very disappointed, angry, and frustrated that we lost.’
LEICESTER CITY (4-2-3-1): Schmeichel 7.5; Simpson 7, Morgan 7.5, Huth 7.5, Chilwell 7.5; Amartey 7, Drinkwater 7.5; Albrighton 8, Mahrez 8 (Fuchs 70, 6), Gray 8 (Okazaki 80); Slimani 8.5 (Ulloa 82). Subs (not used): Zieler, Mendy, King, Musa. WeST HaM unITed (4-2-3-1): Randolph 7; Nordtveit 7, Reid 7, Ogbonna 6.5, Cresswell 7; Noble 7 (Lanzini 57, 6), Kouyate 6 (Fernandes 78); Antonio 7, Ayew 5.5 (Feghouli 65, 5), Payet 7; Carroll 6. Subs (not used): Adrian, Obiang, Fletcher, Quina. referee: Anthony Taylor.