Goal king Iheanacho is in a league of his own
EURO SPOT SO CLOSE NOW
HOT-SHOT Kelechi Iheanacho grabbed a brilliant late winner to strengthen Leicester’s claims for a Champions League spot.
Brendan Rodgers’s side went into the game knowing victory would extend the gap over fifthplaced West Ham to seven points.
But Palace had not read the script, and threatened to go home with all three points on a number of occasions.
Leading from Wilfried Zaha’s 12th-minute goal, they pushed the Foxes all the way until Timothy Castagne fired home an equaliser after good work from Iheanacho five minutes into the second half.
Iheanacho struck in the 80th minute, latching on to a long ball from Jonny Evans and firing a brilliant left-foot shot into the roof of the net for his 17th goal of the season.
Leicester have been out of the top four only once since September 2019 and that was on the very last day of last season when they were pipped for fourth spot by Chelsea. A run-in which saw them take just seven points from their final seven games cost them dear and Rodgers is desperate to avoid a repeat.
Leicester made the early inroads, Jamie Vardy twice springing clear of the visitors’ defence in the opening exchanges.
Strike-partner Iheanacho split the Palace back line with a superbly weighted ball but Vardy’s touch to get around keeper Vicente Guaita took him just too wide in the fourth minute.
Palace then pounced with a vengeance when Christian Benteke robbed Youri Tielemans on the halfway line.
He fed Eberechi Eze, who threaded the ball through for Zaha to claim his 10th goal of the season. Palace were quick in the tackle and disrupted the home side’s attempts at slick passing at every available opportunity.
But whatever Rodgers said at the break seemed to work as his men set about repairing the damage and managed to get themselves back on level terms.
Iheanacho’s neat lay-off in the box set up Castagne perfectly for a 12-yard drive into the top corner of the net.
An absolutely superb last-ditch tackle by Evans saved the hosts as he scooped the ball away from Benteke, who was poised to shoot just eight yards out.
Then came Iheancho’s stunning winner.
LEICESTER (3-4-1-2): Schmeichel 6; Fofana 6, Evans 8, Soyuncu 6; Castagne 7, Ndidi 6, Tielemans 6, Thomas 6 (Albrighton 70, 6); Maddison 6 (Perez 70, 6); Iheanacho 8, Vardy 6. Goals: Castagne 50, Iheanacho 80.
CRYSTAL PALACE (4-4-2): Guaita 7; Ward 6, Kouyate 6, Dann 6, Van Aanholt 6; Ayew 6 (Townsend 78), Milivojevic 6 (McCarthy 83), Riedewald 6 (Schlupp 85), Eze 8; Benteke 6, Zaha 7. Goal: Zaha 12.