JAMAL HAS THE CANARIES SINGING
Lewis’s cracking strike stuns high-flying Foxes
JAMAL LEWIS smashed home his first Premier League goal to keep alive Norwich’s survival hopes as Leicester were left to lament a bigVAR handball call.
The Canaries left-back got forward to net a super shot past Kasper Schmeichel to lift Daniel Farke’s side four points from safety – and leave their fans singing the theme tune to the Great Escape with 10 games to go.
But while Norwich recorded only their second win in 15 league games, Leicester extended their winless streak to four games without the injured Jamie Vardy.
His replacement as the sole striker Kelechi Iheanacho thought he had given Leicester the lead after 49 minutes when he dispossessed Ben Godfrey and curled home his own left-foot shot from just outside the box.
But VAR replays showed the ball brushed his hand in the build-up and referee Craig Pawson disallowed the strike to the touchline fury of manager Brendan Rodgers.
Leicester also felt hard done by against Manchester City in their last game when Dennis Praet was penalised for handball after Kevin De Bruyne escaped for the same offence.
Iheanacho missed the best chance of a poor first-half when he skied inside the box after Lewis had given away possession.
On the 15th anniversary of her infamous “Let’s be having you!” rant, the game and the Norwich team badly needed a bit of inspiration from the watching Delia Smith. Instead the disallowed goal raised the home side into action. Foxes keeper Schmeichel was finally called into serious action with two saves from Ondrej Duda. Instead it was left to the two Norwich full-backs to break the deadlock after 70 minutes.
Max Aarons made another surging run down the right and his deep cross reached Lewis on the other flank. The former Canaries trainee controlled the ball on his chest before volleying home a low shot past Schmeichel into the far corner. Leicester have run out of steam at the business end of the season with only one win in seven League games although they remain seven points clear of Chelsea in third place.
Rodgers said Vardy should be back soon following his calf injury but might not be risked for the midweek FA Cup tie against Birmingham.
“He has had a slight pain in his calf,” said the Foxes manager. “He has had a scan and has a low grade issue so, it’s not overly serious. He will be back next week.”
NORWICH (4-2-3-1); Krul 6; Aarons 7, Hanley 6, Godfrey 5, Lewis 6; Tettey 5, McLean 6; Buendia 5, Duda 6 (Stiepermann 87), Cantwell 7 (Rupp 68 5); Pukki 6 (Drmic 81). GOAL: Lewis 70. LEICESTER (4-1-4-1): Schmeichel 7; Pereira 6, Evans 7, Soyuncu 7, Chilwell 6; Choudhury 5 (Ndidi 67 5); Perez 6 (Albrighton 78), Praet 7 (Tielemans 73), Maddison 6, Barnes 6; Iheanacho 6.